


Obsidian Dreaming

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [5]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Mythology, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Androids, Artificial Intelligence, Demon Languages, Demon Law, Demonic Culture, Interspecies Sex, Magitech, Multi, Non-Humanoid Sex, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:49:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: Having completed Angel's body Takeshi and his chosen family set out to spend time in the Obsidian Halls, they prepare for being gone a year, maybe two, then they set out on a new adventure.Takeshi hopes to strengthen his pack, that being in a realm with abundant prana will allow them all to develop and find their balance again after the rapid expansion of the pack.He is well aware that the Fates will probably keep throwing him their usual curveballs, but that is something he has grown accustomed to.
Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414114





	1. Destiny's Dream

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Hey, Take, do you have a moment?”  
Bran's voice pulled Takeshi's attention away from the list of items that Sol had requested for her bungalow, it had taken 3 days to get him used to his new body, and comfortable with shifting between forms so now they had returned to Miami.  
They had brought Bran along telling him he might as well use the announced week away to help Angel with her body, there were still a whole lot of fine tuning needed as issues arose when she faced new situations.  
  


“Of course, what can I do for you?”  
“I have been thinking, with my new form... Could you help me have a saddle and tack made?”  
“Of course. But the saddle would only work while you are in your regular horse form, saddles for winged horses require quite a bit of extras in the design to allow full range of movement of the wings without causing discomfort.”  
Much to their relief Bran had proven himself able to shift between the winged unicorn form and the initial black horse form they had seen, allowing him to move around freely while shifted.  
“You are most likely a power-flier, so carrying the weight of a rider won't be an issue, but being leather winged you need full range of movement for control as you can't fine tune your aerodynamics with feather movement.”  
“Damn, this stuff is an all new science...”  
“I'm sure the Stable Master will be more than happy to help you study it.”  
Takeshi quickly brought up information on local stores that sold saddles.  
“I think we should just get you a simple one for now to get used to it, then we can have a proper one crafted for you in the demon realm.”  
“Okay...”  
“But first, we need to test how you react to having something on your back, wouldn't want to take you to the store and have you panicking when they put a saddle on you.”  
“That would be pretty embarrassing... Not to mention I could hurt someone really bad...”  
“Indeed.”  
Together they headed out into the garden and Bran shifted while Takeshi picked up a thicker blanket from one of the piles of bedding.  
  


“Let's start with this and see how you react.”  
Takeshi carefully put the blanket over Bran's back which caused him to prance around a bit with his ears pinned back.  
“Easy, don't let the animal mind rule you. You are human, the power of your mind is logic over instinct.”  
It took about a minute for Bran to stop prancing, but he was clearly still somewhat agitated as the ears were flicking about and the fine muscles under the skin were twitching, irritated by the feeling of the blanket.  
“That's it. Allow the animal instincts to feel, but control the reactions, you know it's not dangerous, now you just need to remain in control until your instincts catch up.”  
Once he was calm Takeshi began moving the blanket around, and when that no longer caused any reaction he began carefully pressing down a bit.  
“Okay, I'm going to get up on your back now, try to stay in control. I will try to stay on even if you try to throw me, but if I feel you panicking I'll get off.”  
 _“Okay.”_  
Taking a good grip on the long mane Takeshi swung himself onto Bran's back and the moment he did the powerful body exploded under him, trying to throw him, but he was prepared for it so he clung to him like a burr and soon Bran's human mind began to regain control, and the animal instincts started realizing that the rider wasn't going anywhere, and wasn't causing any harm.  
  


“There you go, nice and calm.”  
Takeshi carefully slid down from Bran's back and began running his hands over his neck and back again, soothing the borrowed instincts.  
 _“Damn you sure know how to hold on...”_  
“I had some practice with demon steeds. For now, shift back, and then we will try again later, it shouldn't take long for you to get used to it.”  
Once Bran had sifted back Takeshi motioned for him to sit down so they could talk about how troublesome instincts could be.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Okay, I'll be there soon. Thanks for calling.”  
As the call from Meghan disconnected Takeshi quickly cleaned his brushes and set calligraphy set aside, then headed to the garden where the rest of his pack were gathered.  
“Done with your calligraphy already?”  
No one had expected to see him just yet and Emelie called him out on it.  
“Nah, just got a call from Meg, Naili has entered her fertile cycle.”  
“Oh, okay. Come to collect a beta?”  
“Mhm.”  
During the exchange the betas had already started deciding who would go and in the end they agreed that Ylian was the best choice as they had a greater understanding of all the instincts involved.  
“I'll take this one.”  
Ylian rose and walked toward Takeshi.  
“Ah, you took the words right out of my mouth.”  
Takeshi quipped and gave Ylian a kiss before allowing the shadows to claim him, and for a moment Ylian stood there silently, then they cursed and vanished as well.  
“My my, he's in quite the mood.”  
“Mhm, Naili is in for a treat.”  
“Poor thing.”  
“I'm kinda jelly...”  
The teasing quips continued back and forth for quite a while before the pack settled back down.  
  


“Take!”  
“Hello sweetie.”  
By the time Ylian arrived Takeshi already had his arms full with Meghan, earning him an amused snort.  
“I do believe that's the wrong female.”  
“Indeed, but this one is soo huggable.”  
“That she is.”  
Ylian agreed with a smile that earned them a hug of their own.  
“You're pretty huggable too.”  
“Our dear alpha has taught me the value of a good hug.”  
Leaning in they gave her a deep kiss.  
“And kiss...”  
“And taking liberties.”  
Meghan added with a teasing smile.  
“That too.”  
Ylian hummed in agreement.  
“Yi does have a point though, I did come here for your co-mate, not you.”  
“She's waiting in the garden with the others.”  
“I know, I can smell her. And she is smelling quite delicious.”  
“Perv...”  
“Nah, more of a horndog.”  
“You're impossible...”  
“Sticks and stones sweetie.”  
The friendly banter quickly turned into an all out, though friendly, sniping war that had Ylian shaking their head and grumbling about crazy humans.  
  


After greeting Chagoo and Naili Takeshi spent some time playing with the spawns before shifting and approaching Naili.  
He wasn't the least bit surprised when Chagoo stepped in between him and Naili and flared his aura in challenge, it was quite clear that Meghan was though, and Takeshi listened with half an ear as Ylian explained to her.  
“Chagoo may have agreed to this arrangement, but his instincts still demand that he test Take, that he make sure that Take is worthy of breeding with a fine female like Naili.  
“They won't fight too hard, will they?”  
“Nah, it's more of a sparring match than a real fight.”  
“Okay...”  
True to Ylian's words the challenge led to a short fight where Takeshi quickly came out on top and Chagoo quickly surrendered and retreated to where the spawns were playing, leaving Takeshi to approach Naili.  
  


With a gentle brush of aura Takeshi stepped up to Naili and waited for her to inspect him, his form, his power, his scent and soon she began brushing against him, inviting him to do the same.  
Takeshi took a slightly more dominant posture though, pushing slightly against her, making her move and adjust to him as he inspected her, and when he moved around behind her her aura and posture became inviting, signaling that she was ready to breed and would allow him to mount her.  
What followed was primal, fast and rough, but that was how breeding worked with the umarita, they had sex for pleasure too, but that was quite different, Takeshi did try his best not to be too rough though as he was significantly stronger than Naili.  
She still spun around and gave him a pretty annoyed snarl when he pulled back, but that was a normal reaction, it was fairly common for the female to outright attack the male when he was done and dismounted her.  
Takeshi quickly shifted back and held out his hands in apology.  
  


“I'm sorry sweetie. It was a bit harder than I thought to hold back my power, the umarita breeding instinct was somewhat troublesome.”  
Naili just huffed and bumped her head against his hand, accepting his apology and telling him there were no hard feelings, she had been well aware of what she was getting into, trying to breed with such a powerful male.  
“With any luck we won't have to do that again.”  
The lyrebird spoke while Naili purred softly.  
“Hopefully.”  
Takeshi agreed, he could understand how such instincts had evolved, and he respected the umarita ways, but he didn't particularly like how doing it himself had made him feel.  
“Do you trust me enough to let my fangs near your neck so I can help heal you?”  
Under the influence of instinct Takeshi had kept a harsh hold on Naili's neck and his fangs had left a few pretty deep marks that were bleeding sluggishly, and though such things were normal for umarita his instincts rebelled against it.  
“Of course, why wouldn't I?”  
“My fangs are what caused this damage to start with...”  
“It's not my first time breeding you know. You may be stronger than my mate, but it's not all that different.”  
Leaning in Takeshi began licking at the puncture wounds, sealing them, then he moved on to licking the blood out of her fur.  
  


“I'm sorry Chagoo, I wasn't able to control the instincts very well so she did end up with a few wounds, but I have cleaned and healed them.”  
Takeshi kneeled down next to the umarita alpha, not submissive, but placing himself in a less dominant position, apologizing for the harm caused to one of the pack's precious females.  
“I did more damage to her when I bred her myself. Most males would have done more damage, especially strong ones. So don't worry. Our females are tough, it will take a lot more than a few scratches on the neck to truly harm them.”  
“Still, I did draw blood.”  
This time Chagoo huffed at him.  
“You are indeed a very considerate alpha. Any pack would be fortunate to have such a protector.”  
Now it was Takeshi's turn to huff and grumble, as usual he didn't like to be the topic at hand.  
  


It took a few moments before Takeshi realized that the soft whuffing sound he was hearing was actually Chagoo laughing and when he did he flashed his fangs at him and pounced.  
The mock fight ended with Chagoo on his back, wagging his tail and still laughing while Takeshi was using his claws to scratch his belly and chest.  
“I think I can learn a lot from you about being a good alpha, a strong alpha.”  
Chagoo was calm and mostly submissive, happily displaying his sensitive belly and throat to Takeshi in order to be scratched, showing trust and accepting him as the dominant alpha without complaint.  
“You don't really need any lessons in that. Maybe a bit more experience would help with those pesky instincts, but your heart is in the right place, and you clearly have the mind for it.”  
“Would you help me get stronger, help me better protect my pack?”  
“I would be more than happy to try.”  
He looked at Chagoo for a moment, then traced a claw down his sternum, applying slightly more pressure than before.  
“Your youth is your greatest weakness, but it's also one of your greatest strengths. Your youth makes you flexible, better able to learn new ways to do things.”  
Takeshi could feel concern in Chagoo's aura, but the young alpha was too hesitant to speak up.  
  


“What has you so worried?”  
Takeshi's question made Chagoo freeze for a moment then he rolled back over on his belly, he did place his head on Takeshi's legs though, maintaining some contact.  
“Going back to the demon realm...”  
“I will need a bit more than that.”  
There was a deep sigh, and a long silence, but Takeshi waited patiently.  
“I'm worried we will meet other umarita, meet an older, stronger alpha. He would challenge me, try to claim me and mine as a subordinate pack to secure our females for himself.”  
The thought of someone else taking control of the umarita pack made Takeshi growl in objection.  
“You are mine!”  
He took a few moments to regain control before continuing.  
“Your oath bind me just as much as it does you. I will not allow someone to take you away from me, especially not if all they are after is the power and prestige of female spawns.”  
“You would fight the challenge to keep us?”  
“I would first try to reason and warn, but yes, I would fight to keep you, unless you truly wish to change your allegiance and become subordinate to another alpha.”  
“No, I gave my word, we all did.”  
Takeshi sighed softly at the refusal.  
“I have no intentions of holding on to someone who doesn't want to be mine.”  
He could feel Chagoo give in and surrender to his reasoning and soon the tension left his aura and was replaced by the soft pulsing flow that spoke of sleep mixed with the awareness of a guardian.  
“You sleep, I will keep watch.”  
It didn't take long for the pulsing to stop, telling him that Chagoo had heard, or at least sensed, his promise to watch over the pack.  
  


It was still dark when the pack began waking up, and soon Takeshi found himself dragged into the morning chores of the ranch before being dragged back to make breakfast for the spawns.  
Once they had made sure that all the spawns had eaten their breakfast Naili and the lyrebird approached Takeshi with some hesitance.  
“Alpha, can you see if our breeding has succeeded yet?”  
“I don't know, let's have a look.”  
Turning around he began searching her aura for any new energy.  
“Try to relax, it will make it easier for me to sense any new energy.”  
“I'm trying...”  
“Here, let me.”  
He reached out and began brushing his fingers through the fur at her neck and soon she was relaxed, and a soft, pleased, rumble could be felt rather than heard.  
“That's good. Let's try again.  
It took a while to find it, but much to his relief Takeshi did find brand new life-flames hidden within Naili.  
  


“Good news, it worked, I can sense new life, tiny, but bright little flames, and they all feel stable and strong.”  
“Can you tell..?”  
It was clear she was wondering if she was carrying any female spawns.  
“Indeed I can, three females and one male. It would seem the umarita predisposition for having males is a very potent one.”  
It was almost as rare for umarita to have more than three as it was to have multiple females, but Naili didn't even seem to have realized that part yet  
“Thank you!”  
Naili's joy was almost overwhelming, and Takeshi could feel it spread through her pack, the spawns growing increasingly rambunctious, and he allowed the feeling to pull him along as well.  
  


“Naili, are you still determined to stay behind?”  
“Yes.”  
“In that case I have little gift for you before I leave.”  
Walking into the garden of the small house that Meghan and the pack called home Takeshi looked for a suitable spot and after a while he settled on the exit from the small garden called forth a pair sanctuary planters and set one on each side of the gate.  
With a small flare of power a trellis formed from them and he leaned down and placed a pair of seeds in each, then watched as the plant grew, forming large, deeply lobed leaves and small yellow flowers, then started developing large, white, spiky fruits.  
  


“Oh, are those bitter melons?”  
Meghan reached out for one of the fruits, but hesitated slightly.  
“Yes and no. Visually they are a spiky version of a white bitter melon that are popular on Okinawa. But they are sanctuary fruits, intended to give proper nutrition to Naili and her growing spawns.”  
“Ah, okay.”  
She quickly pulled her hand back.  
“Don't worry, they are good for all of you, and the vines will grow as many fruits as needed.”  
“Great!”  
She instantly grabbed one of the spiky fruits then gave Takeshi a questioning look.  
“Just eat it like an apple.”  
As she bit into it pale green juices flowed from the fruit.  
“Oh, it's really good!”  
“Indeed, you should make sure to eat plenty of them, and have your spawns eat them as well. It will help your bodies grow accustomed to demon realm food.”  
He quickly picked two of the spiny fruits and turned toward Chagoo and Naili.  
“Chagoo, try one!”  
Tossing the fruit in a high arch he smiled as Chagoo jumped high to catch it, then made short work of it.  
“Naili?”  
He didn't throw the second fruit, instead he held it out for Naili who carefully took it from his hand and soon it was gone.  
“Naili, you got juices all over your face.”  
With a smile Takeshi shifted, then began cleaning the slightly sweet liquid from her fur, then on a whim he walked over to Chagoo and began cleaning his fur as well.  
  


“I will try to visit a few more times before we head out.”  
Takeshi gave Meghan a tight hug as he prepared to leave.  
“Don't worry, focus on your preparations instead. I'm sure you still have a lot to do, especially if Angel is coming as well.”  
“Indeed we do.”  
“The go. Just give us a few days heads up.”  
“Will do. Thanks Meg.”  
Turning to Chagoo and the others he bid them farewell as well, then he reached out for Ylian and together they returned to Miami.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Take!”  
Takeshi had barely exited the shadows when Emelie pounced at him, and moments later the rest of the pack followed.  
“Come on guys, be nice.”  
Takeshi grumbled at the bottom of the usual pile and as always no one listened, and after a few minutes he turned the tables on them, gently forcing each of them to submit, then greeting them with a suitable kiss.  
  


“How did it go?”  
Everyone was curious, wanting to know if he had been successful in impregnating Naili.  
“It went well. Naili is carrying, quadruplets, and only one of them male. And they all feel strong and bright.”  
“That's great!”  
“That's a really nice litter.”  
Ylian hummed softly, they had been helping the farmhands excavate for another water tank, using their abilities in a way similar to what Riara did to excavate their Miami home, though they only displaced the matter rather than change it completely.  
While the matter was displaced by Ylian's form they had lowered the tank into the hole and when Ylian returned to being fully incorporeal the sand and soil had shifted back, securing the tank in place.  
“It's an amazing litter for a young umarita like Naili. A young female like Naili usually only has two spawns, and as they get older and stronger the chances to get additional spawns increases.”  
Hearing Munin give a lesson about something demonic made Takeshi smile a somewhat wistful smile, he had enjoyed the simplicity of their first year in the Obsidian Halls, just learning about the realm and its ways.  
“Munin, have you been studying umarita reproduction?”  
Takeshi wasn't surprised at Munin's knowledge, but he was a bit curious.  
“Yeah, I had one of the librarians find me a few books. Figured I might as well learn as much as I could.”  
“Ah, thank you for taking the time .”  
Takeshi gave him a tight hug, then a soft kiss that earned him a slightly embarrassed chirp, then Munin returned the kiss with the sense of calm acceptance that was so like him.  
  


Takeshi knew that Munin wasn't emotionally attracted to males, and he didn't have much physical attraction to them either, but at the same time he didn't mind being intimate with males that he cared about.  
Munin took a rather practical approach to it, just accepting it as a way to bond as a pack, a means to be close, and a means for Takeshi to communicate what he didn't have words for.  
  


“Did you manage their breeding instincts okay?”  
Munin took a small step back, but kept his wings slightly arched around Takeshi, a gesture of protectiveness and concern.  
“It was unpleasant, but I'll be okay, and Naili doesn't hold it against me.”  
“Of course not, she's umarita, and you were probably far gentler than any umarita male of equivalent strength would have been.”  
“I still drew blood...”  
“Uhm, why did you do that?”  
Takara's innocent question made Takeshi flinch slightly and the moment he did Munin's wings closed tightly around him.  
“Umarita breeding is rough, sometimes outright violent. And it does cause the female some pain, so when mounting her the male grabs hold of the skin of her neck with his jaws to keep her from attacking him, or escaping.”  
Munin explained a bit about umarita breeding while Takeshi struggled to get his emotions back under control.  
“...”  
The silence was total and Takeshi took a deep breath before breaking it.  
  


“I tried to be gentle, but the umarita breeding instincts were very strong and I was unable to fully resist them. So yes, I did grab hold of her neck, and I held on hard enough to draw blood, and I did cause her pain.”  
“But you healed her didn't you?”  
Takara continued the line of questions.  
“I did, but still, I did hurt her.”  
“And she forgave you, right?”  
“She did, but...”  
“Alpha, shut up!”  
  


The pack spoke as one when they told their Alpha to knock it off and stop beating himself up over something he couldn't control.  
Takeshi flashed his fangs at them, but was met with a solid wall of determination, there was no way his pack would be backing down.  
He already knew that, of course, but instincts still demanded he try, something his pack was well aware of as well so they just kept a united front against his instincts, and moments later he huffed and surrendered, burrowing his face against Munin's chest.  
When he gently brushed his face against the pheromone glands at the elbows Munin instantly turned several shades darker black and voice a few somewhat unintelligible chirps and caws, and for a moment it seemed he would take a page from his brother's book and flee to his raven form.  
  


“Take! Be nice to my poor simoro.”  
Melissa's mock scolding broke Munin from his stupor and he folded his wings back into their resting position along his back.  
“Our dear alpha does love his teasing.”  
Munin grumbled softly while rustling his wings to make sure all the feathers were in their proper place.  
“Your scent on him is quite becoming.”  
Emelie teased as she leaned in and took in the way Munin's pheromones mixed with Takeshi's scent.  
“And you little ama are just as bad as him sometimes...”  
“Aw, but I like the way you smell, both of you.”  
Stepping up to Munin Emelie took a good whiff of him before giving him a quick kiss.  
  


“How long will it take before our new siblings are born?”  
Iðunn's question drew attention away from Munin which had his wings sag slightly in relief.  
“Umarita carry for along time, it will be a year, or more, before she gives birth. And she is determined to stay here in human realm”  
“So we will have little sisters and a brother when we return from the demon realm?”  
“Indeed you will, if all goes well.”  
“How long will it be before we leave for the demon realm?”  
Eir continued with her own question.  
“Well, we will be visiting on Saturdays as usual, and I think we will be ready for our extended stay by the end of the month.”  
“Good, I really like being there and I'm looking forward to learning everything about it.”  
“Then you should ask Lucifer to see the hidden libraries of the Obsidian Palace.”  
“He won't agree to that for free, will he?”  
“No, he won't.”  
Takeshi knew that Lucifer would tease and try to barter access to his hidden libraries for sharing her bed, though, he wouldn't insist in any way, only tease, and try.  
“He's gonna be a pervert about it, isn't he?”  
“Indeed. That's just the way he is.”  
”Just like you.”  
Iðunn's teasing quip made Takeshi flash his fangs at her and she bolted with a laugh, and moments later an eagle circled their home before landing on the highest point of the roof of the main building.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Bran, are you ready to go?”  
Takeshi and Dan had dropped by Mandrake to pick up Bran as they were finally ready to head out for the demon realm.  
Takeshi's initial estimate had overdrawn by an additional two weeks after Miri had demanded that she join them as well, called by her Seer powers.  
“Yeah yeah, I'm good to go. Could you guys grab those two security cases by my desk?”  
A quick look revealed two metal cases that looked like large hardcase suitcases on wheels.  
  


“Oh, what are you bringing?”  
Dan gave one of the cases a gentle nudge with his foot.  
“Quantum core dump drives, these are a quantum linked quad redundancy set with capacity enough to hold about 50 years worth of Angel's sensor data.”  
“That's good thinking.”  
“I have them linked to an identical pair here, hopefully the more powerful, dedicated, quantum link will allow data to be transmitted from the demon realm.”  
Bran had tried to use the quantum link from the miniature quantum processor in Angel's body to transmit data to the human realm but without success.  
“It's worth testing.”  
Takeshi put his hand on Bran's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze, he knew Bran had been beating himself up over failing to solve communication between realms for Angel.  
  


“Don't be so hard on yourself. You are working on the fringe, the border between technology and magic.”  
“I'm taking Clarke's third on that one...”  
Bran's grumbled comment made Takeshi snort and Dan's somewhat dumbfounded look made him break out laughing.  
“Arthur C Clarke's third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”  
Takeshi cited in an amused tone.  
“Oh, yeah, right. That stuff...”  
Dan huffed and grumbled, even the many years with Takeshi had not been able to fully cure him of his distaste for studying.  
“Aw, my poor, gorgeous, beta. Books never were your thing, were they?”  
Takeshi teased softly, earning him a slap on the arm before Dan grabbed one of the cases and began moving toward the door and Takeshi just snorted and grabbed the second case before turning to Bran.  
“Don't worry Bran, we will make a proper technomage of you.”  
“I guess... I just wish I had been able to fix this before we leave...”  
“You want her to be able to connect to this realm and not worry as much.”  
“...”  
When Bran didn't answer Takeshi leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.  
“What have I said about worrying so much?”  
“Don't...”  
“Indeed.”  
He gave Bran a gentle push out the door and soon they were loading his stuff into the Blackout.  
  


“Take kissed you again, didn't he?”  
Dan teased when Bran remained silent as they took off toward their island.  
“Yeah...”  
“Did it help?”  
“I guess...”  
There was a moment of silence, then Bran started outright giggling.  
“It sure as hell works to derail your mind when you're stuck on something.”  
Moments later Dan was breaking down laughing as well.  
“Yeah, sure as hell does.”  
“Oi, language guys!”  
Takeshi's usual complaint had them silent for a moment, then they started laughing again, and this time Takeshi joined in as well.  
  


“Everyone seems to be in a good mood today.”  
Bran watched the way everyone were running about in a flurry, laughing, teasing, and dragging bags around.  
“Everyone has been looking forward to this extended visit to the demon realm.”  
Bran jumped slightly when Ylian spoke up as he hadn't noticed their approach.  
“I guess, I'm kinda excited too...”  
“Looking forward to studying a new world, learn about magic?”  
“Yeah, and learning how to fly...”  
“I'm sure both you and Eric will learn to fly just fine, our Alpha is merely being cautious, wanting some extra safety for you.”  
“Yeah, I'm getting the feeling he can be quite the mother-hen...”  
“Indeed he can. All of us can in a way, the instinct to protect pack is a powerful one, and having such a protective alpha reinforces the instincts of the pack.”  
“So he makes you guys worse?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Figures...”  
“It pulls at us rather strongly at times, making us act without thought, but it's not a bad thing, the bond of pack.”  
“I'm not ready for that...”  
“He knows, we all do. And like Saga you might never be, not everyone is suited to be part of a pack.”  
“She still belongs to the pack though, doesn't she?”  
“She does, as does Take's name-sister and his previous beta, though they now form the alpha pair of a sub-pack, both of them are solitary alphas so a small pack at the edge of the main pack suits them better.”  
“Oh, okay...”  
Ylian gave Bran a gentle brush with their aura before rejoining the others to help make sure everything was in order.  
  


“You have a knack for knowing what someone needs to be told...”  
Takeshi wrapped his arms around Ylian and allowed gratitude to flow through the bond.  
“I have plenty of experience.”  
The light teasing made Takeshi chuckle, then nudge them to turn around.  
“You are a true pride to the pack, ami.”  
Leaning in he kissed them with a hint of hunger and spice that echoed the overall mood of the pack, anticipation and excitement.  
“The pack is blessed with en excellent alpha, annoying, but excellent.”  
Ylian continued with their soft teasing while savoring the kiss and the emotions behind it.  
“And the alpha is blessed with loyal, but meddlesome, betas.”  
Takeshi quipped back while letting his emotions flow through the bonds and soon they all echoed similar feelings back at him, loyalty, love, safety.  
He could also feel Linnéa eagerly reaching out for the bonds of the pack, seeking out the sense of belonging begging to be part of it, and Takeshi intended to talk to her and the twins once they had settled in at the Obsidian Halls, talk to them about properly claiming her.  
Even the umarita pack echoed his emotions, happily joining the swell of power.  
  


“Okay everyone, time to go.”  
Takeshi allowed his aura to pulse and moments later everyone were gathered and focused on the swelling mist.  
“Marakell, you watch over and protect my precious Miri.”  
“With my life alpha.”  
Miri would be brought through a different mist portal and carried to an elaborate pool that had been prepared for her in the large garden of the new wing that Takeshi had been given with his position of Amiara Yalii, though, it was really two wings, one for the amiara yalii and one for the Imperial Ally House Shamarai.  
With the way the entire place had been rebuilt with several connected pools, gardens, large den and smaller room it was obvious that Lucifer had been planning it for a while, and planned not just for the comfort of Takeshi's current family, but mindful to make sure there was room for it to expand further.  
  


“Angel, I trust you to watch over our Miami home.”  
“Of course.”  
It was a somewhat odd experience to say goodbye to Angel while she was also coming with them, but they had decided that they would treat the part of Angel that was staying behind as a separate entity for the time being.  
Reaching out he tapped the drone at his shoulder and moments later it darted away and he flared his aura, connecting it to the sentient mist and allowing the mist to draw on his vast reserves to offset the amount of energy needed to transfer such a large number of individuals across the boundary of the realms and into the Obsidian Halls.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Stepping out of the mist at the transit station in the Obsidian Halls they were met by a significant number of Obsidian Guards, including a full honor guard with the Blood Guard at the front and Lucifer himself at the back.  
As the mist settled down the gathered guards divided and Lucifer stepped forward, walking up to Takeshi he kneeled down and wrapped his wings around him.  
“Welcome back amo.”  
Takeshi huffed at the theatrics but leaned in and accepted the greeting with a kiss, though, he was still somewhat uncomfortable with the way Lucifer made a show of submitting to him but he did understand why.  
  


Lucifer was an Avatar, a highborn Lord and one of the most powerful beings around, no one would dare challenge him or accuse him of being less for submitting to another male and allowing himself to be taken.  
Takeshi on the other hand would be at risk of being challenged by those who disapproved of such things, or simply believed they could claim him themselves and he did not want to fight challenges if he could avoid it, especially not challenges where he would have to kill the offender to protect his position as Yemo, and thus his House, his family and friends.  
  


“It's good to be back amo.”  
When Lucifer rose his form shrank until he was just a few centimeters taller than Takeshi, then he moved on to greeting everyone else, only pausing for a moment when a junior guard arrived with a message.  
“The honorable Shamarai Seer has arrived safely and is waiting in the Yalii wing.”  
“Excellent!”  
Lucifer nodded with a smile, then turned to the gathered crowd and dismissed them.  
“Let's go meet this seer of yours, I have been looking forward to finally get a chance to meet her.”  
The almost childish delight and curiosity in Lucifer's aura had everyone smiling, and the Blood Guard echoed a slightly teasing energy once they were away from the other travelers and curious bystanders.  
  


“Take!”  
“Hello Miri, how did the transit feel, and how are you handling being here?”  
“It was cold and confusing, and the energies here are strange, but I'll be okay.”  
“Of course you will. My precious Seer is no weakling. You adapted to the move to the human realm and thrived despite the lack of prana, you will no doubt grow even stronger here where prana is abundant.”  
“She is even more beautiful than my visions have shown.”  
Lucifer kneeled down at the edge of the pool and allowed his own seer powers to rise, turning his eyes liquid silver and the moment Miri met his gaze her eyes changed as well, silver and gold swirling slowly.  
“A pure blood, old blood, mermaid. There are precious few of your kind left.”  
“Really? I thought the others all came here, to this realm?”  
Miri's confusion made her fins droop slightly.  
“Many did, but this realm is a harsh one, only the strong survive, most of those who came simply were not strong enough to survive here, or have interbred with other species to the point where the old blood has been lost.”  
“You know about the time before Atlantis?”  
“I do, I was young but I remember how her crashing echoed through the realm. How she tore herself apart to protect her crew, and prevent her crashing into Earth from wiping out all life. Though, the tsunami she created did cause quite a bit of damage.”  
  


Lucifer sat down at the edge of the pool and called the pack to gather around to hear the story of Atlantis as he knew it.  
“Atlantis crashing into Earth's ocean is an event that is written down in human history among the many great flood myths. Sensing that Earth was an inhabited world Atlantis desperately tried to avoid hitting the bottom of the ocean as the fallout of such an impact would wipe out all life on the planet.”  
“Like the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs?”  
“Indeed, and that was not the only time it has happened.”  
“They think that's how the Moon was created.”  
“That would be before my time.”  
Lucifer snorted at Takara's mention of earlier impact events.  
“Pretty sure that's even before Riara's time.”  
Takeshi quipped with a snort before settling back to listen to Lucifer's story.  
  


“So bringing Atlantis back to our realm, our Earth, would make it possible to bring back this _Old Blood_?”  
“If there are still others there with the blood, yes.”  
“What makes it so special?”  
“That little Seer is something you must ask the Lorelei about.”  
“Lorelei?”  
“Mhm. Lorelei is the title held by the eldest, the matriarch of all the merfolk in the demon realm.”  
“I think I need to meet with her...”  
The swirl of silver in her eyes made Lucifer nod.  
“I will send word to her, little Seer, and I am sure she will be eager to meet with her long lost kin.”  
“Thank you Uncle Lucy.”  
“I think you will find meeting her to be very informative...”  
There was a hint of teasing in Lucifer's voice that told Takeshi the old angel had something planned for Miri, some kind of surprise that he clearly had no intention of sharing.  
“Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll see about having some food brought in? Then we can talk all night.”  
“Okay.”  
“See you soon Uncle Lucy!”  
As soon as Lucifer had left everyone scrambled to get their bags brought in through the teleportation circle, eager to be all done by the time Lucifer returned with food.  
  


Takeshi was a bit more laid back though, he still had the habit of traveling light so he really didn't have anything to unpack that couldn't wait.  
“Angel, would you like to see if the latest generation of drones handle okay here?”  
Takeshi tapped the large crate with drones, they had been having some issues with adapting the power cells and sensors for the Demon Realm, but he was pretty sure the current batch would perform as expected.  
“Please.”  
“Bran, you want to join us for the launch?”  
“Sure.”  
Bran quickly dumped his bags into one of the empty rooms and joined them and together they opened up the crate and then the metal suitcase with the swarm of nano drones.  
“Okay sweetie, they're all yours.”  
Moments later the drones came to life and took off, then hung in the air for a moment before starting to circle around them.  
  


“How are they?”  
Takeshi and Bran watched as Angel ran a few basic tests with the drones.  
“Everything seems to be in working order.”  
“Excellent.”  
“Can I see those new drones now? I can feel them in the other cases.”  
“You know what they say about curiosity.”  
Takeshi quipped with a teasing smile.  
“Well, I'm not a cat so I have nothing to worry about.”  
Her deadpan reply had everyone who heard her snickering and laughing.  
“Indeed you don't.”  
Takeshi agreed as he opened up the case, revealing a selection of crystal creatures.  
  


“You made ornithopters for me?”  
Ornithopters were biomimetic aircraft that achieved flight by flapping their wings like birds, or insects.  
“I figured you might want to have a few more aesthetic drones as well.”  
“Thanks!”  
Moments later Takeshi had Angel's arms around his neck and he quickly returned the hug.  
“Glad you like them, but maybe test them to make sure they work as they should before you thank me?”  
Moments later the swarm of nano drones was joined by a selection of birds, butterflies and dragonflies.  
“Everything is working as it should. And they're beautiful...”  
“You can adjust the colors as you please.”  
“I know, it feels a bit odd, but I can feel it.”  
“Good, you take some time and get used to that while I help make sure everything is unpacked.”  
“I will.”  
Takeshi gave Bran a quick glance, silently asking him to stay with Angel and he received a short nod in reply.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Ah, I see you guys are all set and ready for food.”  
Lucifer grinned widely as he appeared in the garden, making the newcomers jump slightly as they were not used to the way he could appear anywhere he wanted to within the Obsidian Palace.  
“What did you have the kitchen make for us?”  
Sarah and Maria quickly pounced on him and made themselves comfortable in his lap.  
“Nothing big, just a selection of quick and easy snacks.”  
“Good, then we won't need to wait.”  
“Indeed. Mist travel seems to make you girls ravenous.”  
“Well, that's probably 'cause we always share a bit of power with the mist.”  
“Probably. And the mist adores you for doing so.”  
“Really?”  
“The mist is sapient enough to have an opinion like that?”  
“It is.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
“We just don't think it's right to make the mist carry the entire drain when we travel, and we have energy to spare.”  
“You are truly caring creatures, a pride to your pack.”  
Lucifer's honest praise had them blushing slightly, but they nodded in acceptance.  
  


Once food was brought in they settled down to eat, and talk and it soon became obvious that Lucifer had something on his mind.  
“Come on Lucy, it's not like you to beat around the bush.  
The old angel huffed, then smiled.  
“I know you guys have probably made all kinds of plans, but you really should put meeting with Lorelei on top of the list.”  
There was a slight edge in Lucifer's aura that told them he was determined, and probably had very good reason for his suggestion.  
“You have spoken to her already?”  
“I have, and she informed me that Miri is welcome whenever you can, but she too asked that you come sooner rather than later.”  
“We could go after we have eaten, right?”  
Amanda was eager to meet with the merfolk of the demon realm.  
“Well, that depends a bit on how we can solve traveling there, they don't have a fixed mist portal so preparing one for you would take a day or two.”  
“Oh...”  
“But we have other options, right?”  
“Of course. We would have to cross the Obsidian Desert to get to the sea where they have made their home so traveling by normal means is not a good idea.”  
Everyone quickly agreed that taking Miri through a desert was not something they wanted to risk.  
  


“Ylian, how do you feel about shadowtraveling through water, with a passenger?”  
Lucifer's question made Ylian hum in consideration.  
“I would have to change my form to carry a sphere of water within myself, and Miri inside that. And displacing the water on arrival will take more power than displacing air does.”  
“Do you think you are able to?”  
“Yeah I can do it, but it would take a lot of power. And I would very much like Take to be with me to help make sure Miri doesn't panic during the travel due to how she will be exposed to my energies. And maybe to help offset the drain on my reserves from traveling is such a way.”  
Takeshi instantly promised he would assist and soon they had plans ready, they would bring the pack to the caverns of the merfolk first, bringing them through to the dry section, then Takeshi and Ylian would return for Miri and Marakell.  
  


“Oh no!”  
Angel's sudden alarm had everyone focused on her.  
“What's wrong sweetie?”  
“I don't have any aquatic drones...”  
The reason for Angel's distress made Takeshi smile.  
“Don't worry, you have aquatic ones as well, I just didn't bring them in with the others.”  
Takeshi quickly brought in two more of the metal cases used for the drones and opened them up, revealing 20 capsule shaped objects, each measuring about 10 centimeters long and 4 centimeters thick.  
“Oh, what are these?”  
“Why don't you have a look?”  
Angel quickly picked up one of the items, and when she touched it it activated and unfurled into what looked like a mix between a squid and a cuttlefish, an oval, slightly flattened mantle with wide skirtlike fins like that of a cuttlefish, but the 8 arms and 2 tentacles were longer, more resembling those of a squid.  
  


“That thing is really cute.”  
Bran poked at it and let out a rather undignified squeak when the telescopic tentacles shot out and wrapped around his finger and began pulling it toward the arms and mouth.  
“They are designed to be as realistic as possible.”  
Takeshi quipped while Bran was trying to untangle himself from the tiny suckers.  
“A bit too realistic perhaps? This thing is trying to have my finger for breakfast.”  
Bran's complaining made Takeshi laugh as the behavior was not part of the base coding, meaning it was something Angel was making the drone do.  
“Oh, that's not part of the coding.”  
For a moment Bran looked very confused, then he realized what it meant.  
“Angel!”  
Using his free hand he slapped her arm.  
“That teasing is one habit of your father's that you don't need to pick up...”  
Bran grumbled, but at the same time he was struggling to hide his smile, and there was a distinct happiness in his aura.  
But Takeshi could feel there was more than just joy and excitement at seeing Angel show such a distinct sign of personality, and being included in her development, there was a hint of something deeper, something more personal.  
  


“Here, there's enough of these little ones for everyone.”  
Takeshi revealed there to be additional layers in the case.  
“I also made a few larger ones.”  
Opening up the second case revealed 3 significantly larger _eggs_ and with a touch from Angel they activated and unfurled for a moment before returning to their pill shape.  
  


“Are there any specific cultural aspects we should be mindful of?”  
Bran hesitated slightly before asking Lucifer his question.  
“Not really. Just be respectful toward Lorelei as she is a highly revered Elder, and a Seer.”  
“Okay...”  
“Don't worry, you have been doing well so far.”  
“Thanks...”  
When Bran moved away Lucifer flared his aura slightly to get everyone's attention  
“Are we ready to go?”  
“Yep.”  
“Ready.”  
“All set!”  
“Mhm.”  
  


It only took a few moments for those with shadow abilities to merge their auras and bring the rest of the pack into the shadows, then allow Lucifer to guide them to where they needed to go.  
“It's pretty.”  
“Looks a bit like the Sanctuary...”  
“Wonder if they would let us have a few of these Christmas tree worms.”  
“Yeah, they are amazing.”  
“If not we can always have the Mother make Sanctuary versions of them.”  
Takeshi only listened with half an ear to the hushed conversation between Iðunn, Eir and Emelie as he allowed his aura to flow through the fairly large cave and the pool in the middle to make sure it was safe.  
“Okay, you behave and Ylian and I will be back with Miri and Marakell soon.”  
“Okay.”  
“We will.”  
“Don't worry, I will keep an eye on them.”  
Lucifer promised with a smile that made Takeshi huff at him before wrapping his aura around Ylian and tugging gently on the shadows.  
  


When they returned with Miri and Marakell there were a few mermen in the pool, the armor and weapons made it quite obvious they were guards, and they were quickly greeted and asked to follow the guards deeper into the cave.  
“Manda, Dan, Sarah, Maria, would you shift and join us in the water please?”  
Takeshi wanted a few more pack members in the water to help Miri feel safe.  
“Okay.”  
“Of course.”  
“Gere!”  
“Freke!”  
Moments later Miri had a small escort of pack members at her side and Takeshi could feel her relax.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Welcome Miri, Seer of House Shamarai.”  
The female in the elevated pool radiated a calm authority that instilled a deep sense of respect which made Takeshi bow his head to her, he didn't submit though, nor kneel like the umarita did.  
“Thank you Lorelei-etira.”  
“And the Key to Atlantis, I am pleased to see you have awakened.”  
“Thank you Etira, it's an honor to be here.”  
The fact that Lorelei greeted Miri and Amanda first did ruffle some instincts, but the old mermaid just smiled and tutted at the slight flaring of the auras of the dominant pack members.  
“Shamarai-yemo, you have made me a very happy old crone. The old blood is nearly lost here, very few possess enough of it to have access to the powers. We try to breed it back into our lines, but it's hard, most of us are old, and mated.”  
It would seem the demon realm merfolk had similar problems as the Atlantis merfolk.  
  


“Maybe you would be willing to test a suggestion I have that might make it possible for mated pairs to breed outside of their pair?”  
Dan spoke up without thinking and instantly turned bright red when Lorelei focused on him.  
“You found a way while in Atlantis?”  
“Maybe, we suggested it to them, but they refused to try...”  
“What is this method you wished to try?”  
Dan quickly explained about artificial insemination and together with Emelie he showed them how their suggested method would work.  
“Nai-Eikan, what do you think?”  
Lorelei turned to another mermaid who had been listening intently, the address telling them she was a healer.  
“It has merit, I would like to test it right away.”  
A somewhat overwhelmed Dan handed her the syringes and she darted away and vanished into a hidden underwater tunnel.  
  


“You offered this to Atlantis and they refused?”  
Lorelei sounded confused.  
“The merfolk of Atlantis are in an even worse position, or well, were at least. And due to that the Keeper of the Blood has become a position of immense power, a power the holder did not wish to surrender so Dan's suggestion was rejected as it would shatter the powerbase of the Keeper if it works.”  
“Well, they pretended to be eager to test it, but they never did...”  
Dan grumbled, the deception had been a tough blow for him.  
“Keeper of the Blood?”  
Lorelei's question told them that the demon realm merfolk had chosen another path.  
“It was the duty of the Keeper to track the bloodlines and select the most suitable pairings for breeding.”  
The explanation led to another round of questions, and by the time they were done explaining Lorelei was furious.  
  


“They have lost their way completely!”  
“That they have.”  
Takeshi agreed softly.  
“I pray that the seeds you planted will bloom and save my kin.”  
After giving Takeshi a nod she turned to Dan.  
“And you young beta, you may very well have given us the tool to restore our kind. To recover the old blood.”  
“...”  
Dan squirmed a bit before mumbling about it being nothing much  
“It may be a simple solution, but it was one that none of us have thought of, despite having a very long time to brood over the problem.”  
“I guess...”  
Dan's reactions made Lorelei laugh a soft, bell like laugh.  
“You have a good heart young beta, no doubt a pride to you Pack and House.”  
“That he is, and my beloved mate.”  
Takeshi's slight growl at the hint of siren song in Lorelei's voice caused quite a few laughs, and appreciative hums, it would seem that his ability to sense that Lorelei was using her power had earned him some additional respect.  
  


“Now, there is a reason why I wished to see you as soon as you were able to.”  
Lorelei flared her aura to make everyone settle down.  
“Something regarding Miri?”  
Takeshi's voice had a slight edge as his instincts to protect Miri rose again.  
“Indeed.”  
He watched her swim up to the edge of the raised pool, then power began glowing around her, and moments later she was walking down the stairs, slender, but strong legs where there moments ago had been a long tail, the hip piece she had been wearing now acted like a short skirt.  
“This is the power of the Old Blood, of the Trueborn. A power your Miri carries in her blood, and merely needs to be taught how to use.”  
“You mean I will be able to go with them everywhere?”  
“Almost, it's not always easy to maintain the transformation, if you get soaked in water you may revert and dry air quickly becomes very uncomfortable. Also, it's almost impossible to sleep like this, so you will still need a tank or pool to retire to, but it will let you join them in a much greater extent than you can while waterbound.”  
When Lorelei reached the lower pool of water she stepped into it and moments later her tail had returned.  
  


“My my, you are quite the beauty.”  
Lorelei slowly circled Miri, gently brushing her hands against her fins to make them flare out slightly.  
“An excellent balance of form and function. I would very much like to see how well you fight.”  
“Take has been teaching me a lot.”  
“She is a skilled fighter, capable of battle trance.”  
Takeshi added his opinion of Miri's ability to fight  
“Most of the trueborn are.”  
Lorelei hummed before turning her attention away from Miri and inspecting Amanda instead.  
“Beautiful and no doubt deadly, you make an excellent representative for our kin.”  
Turning to Takeshi and Dan she hummed and nodded.  
“Naga, an excellent choice for a strong fighter. I will test how well you perform later.”  
Takeshi just gave her a slight nod, accepting her words as her wanting to see if he was worthy of being Miri's protector.  
“We can fight too!”  
Sarah and Maria huffed slightly when Lorelei didn't inspect them.  
“Then you will be tested as well.”  
Takeshi couldn't help shaking his head slightly at how happy the twins were at the prospect of Lorelei testing their skill and power in mermaid form.  
  


“Come, let us head to the city.”  
Lorelei quickly turned to her guards and requested breathing gear to be brought in.  
“We don't need quite that many units.”  
Takeshi's aura was brimming with pride as most of his companions shifted into aquatic forms capable of underwater breathing, they still needed quite a few units though, but not nearly as many as had been brought.  
“Your pack are skilled shifters.”  
“Indeed they are.”  
It took a while to get the young spawns comfortable with the breathers, but once they were the group quickly traveled through the winding tunnels into a hidden city.  
  


“You are skilled at modulating your voices.”  
Lorelei hummed and nodded when Sarah and Maria used a sonic attack to completely demolish one of the target dummies.  
“Well we don't have merfolk magic so we needed something else.”  
“It's a clever solution.”  
“Thank you Etira.”  
Sarah and Maria smiled widely and Lorelei nodded at them before giving Takeshi a slap with her tail.  
“Come on young Alpha, show us what you got.”  
The somewhat rude slap made Takeshi flare his fins and flash his fangs at her, then he spun around and with an explosive burst of power he uncoiled and rammed one of the intact targets, shattering it.  
“Excellent power. How about your little betas?”  
“I believe you will find that all of mine are quite capable of defending themselves.”  
Takeshi had worked with them to make sure they would be able to defend themselves underwater in case they traveled to Atlantis again, and to be ready for the return of Atlantis.  
“Indeed, you have taught them well.”  
Lorelei was clearly pleased with what she had found, and soon they had retreated to a garden that was half water, half land.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Destiny's Dream_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Do you think you are ready to try now?”  
Lorelei had been working with Miri for a few hours, helping her get a feel for the power used to shed the tail in favor for legs.  
“Yeah.”  
“Good, come.”  
Slowly moving toward the edge of the pool and the simple stairs that led out of the water Miri began to call on the fragment of power that Lorelei had shown her while steeling herself against the pain that she had been warned about.  
Lifting herself out of the water she sat down at the edge and focused on the change, and soon her tail had been replaced with legs.  
“That's good. Now try to move them one leg at a time.”  
Lorelei had explained that the hardest part would be to learn to move the legs independently rather than both as one as it required Miri to retrain her brain a bit.  
  


“Seer, would you like me to pour some water over you?”  
One of the guards approached with what looked very much like a watering can.  
“Please.”  
Miri sighed in relief as the water washed over her, she had spent several hours sitting on the edge, learning to move her legs and she was about ready to try to stand up and walk.  
“Remember, it may be quite painful at first.”  
“I know.”  
With Takeshi helping her she slowly stood and took 3 steps on land before losing her balance, and the transformation, but all she could feel was joy, and pride radiating from her new family.  
  


“Do you want to go back in the water?”  
Takeshi gently cradled her to make sure her fins didn't get pinned under her body.  
“No, I want to try again.”  
“Okay.”  
He watched silently as she focused, and forced herself to change again, and once she had he helped her back on her feet.  
Her aura was burning with stubborn determination, and she leaned slightly against him before taking another small step, carefully trying to find her balance.  
“Miri, I would like to test something.”  
She was still leaning pretty heavily on him and it was making it harder for her to find her balance.  
“Okay...”  
Slowly Takeshi abandoned his normal form and borrowed Ylian's shadeling form, then he carefully manipulated his form to act as a semi-corporeal cushion around Miri, supporting her and taking some of the weight off her legs, but not altering her balance, much like how water usually did.  
“Thanks, that's much better, feels almost like water.”  
“I was hoping it would.”  
Takeshi could feel Lorelei's watchful gaze, and her approval.  
  


“Shamarai-yemo, you have proven yourself a worthy caretaker of the legacy of the Children of the Deep.”  
“Thank you Etira. I will always do everything in my power to protect what is mine.”  
“And if she finds a mate?”  
“She will still be mine, her mate would be welcome to join us though.”  
“And if you do not approve of the mate?”  
“I do trust her taste, but I am her Guide and Alpha...”  
Takeshi's voice carried a hint of steel, he would not allow an unworthy mate to claim Miri.  
“I won't be seeking out a mate for a long time. And even if I do find someone suitable I have no intentions of mating until I have had at least a few children with Take.”  
There were a few somewhat shocked reactions among the other merfolk, displeased that a trueborn would willingly dilute the precious blood.  
“Be quiet!”  
Miri flared her aura in anger and her eyes were swirling gold and silver, instantly silencing the voices around them.  
“Any child of mine sired by my Alpha will be every bit as much a Trueborn as I am.”  
“Indeed it will, the Shamarai-yemo has a rare, and precious gift from the Avatar of Life.”  
Lorelei confirmed Miri's words while giving Takeshi a smile that told him he would soon be asked to sire more children, not that he minded.  
  



	2. New Horizons

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Take, I wanna go to the market!”  
After spending a few days with Lorelei and her people Takeshi and the others returned to the Obsidian Halls, and Miri was eager to explore the new world before her.  
“Well, we do need to buy clothes for you. But are you sure you are ready for that?”  
“I can go for hours now, as long I get to sit down and have drink and a misting every now and then.”  
Miri had put everything she had into trying to maintain the transformation and she was doing really well, they would still need to bring the dryad sisters though to be on the safe side, and to make sure Miri was comfortable.  
Walking was tough on her body as the muscles needed were still developing and growing stronger, and she would get dry very quickly so she needed to be sprayed with a bit of water regularly to stay comfortable.  
  


“Okay, a trip to the market it is then. Just please, don't overdo it, there is plenty of time for you to get used to being on land, and to explore.”  
“I know... I just...”  
“Eager to catch up?”  
“...”  
“Miri, is it your seer side that feels drawn?”  
“A little, it tells me to go to the market, but there's no rush as far as what I'm seeing is concerned.”  
“Okay...”  
“I made you upset..?”  
“A little. It pains me that you can't always talk to me about what you see.”  
“And I hurt you more by not sharing what I can talk about...”  
“Indeed...”  
“I'm sorry...”  
“It's okay sweetie.”  
The way the expressive facial fins drooped showed that she was feeling quite bad about having hurt him, even if it had been unintentional.  
  


With the transformation for walking on land most of her fins had disappeared, but she still had a pair of sharp fins on her lower arm that she could use as weapons, and the ear fins remained as well as the webbed fingers.  
Like most merfolk she didn't have external ears like a human, instead she had a pair of rather elaborate fins that not only allowed her to focus on sounds, but also kept her hair from her face.  
  


“I can shift and carry you if your feet starts hurting too much.”  
Bran's offer instantly earned him gratitude and approval from the others.  
“Thanks Bran.”  
Miri quickly gave Bran a hug that made him blush slightly as she was only wearing an oversized, short tunic that didn't really cover much.  
“Don't worry, I don't mind. It's good practice for me to carry someone I know I need to be careful with, helps me stay in control.”  
“I think it might help that Miri doesn't register as a predator quite as strongly as I do.”  
Takeshi added his own thoughts on the matter, he had trained quite a bit with Bran after acquiring a saddle for him, and it was a struggle as Bran's instincts told him to get rid of the apex predator on his back.  
“Probably. Carrying **you** triggers some seriously crazy instincts.”  
“You are improving though, last time you only tried to throw me twice, and didn't even try to trample me when I jumped off.”  
The way Takeshi spoke about the efforts to help Bran deal with having a rider quickly had everyone laughing, and teasing them, and calling them insane.  
“Maybe I should just carry her all the way to the market? There should be plenty of places for her to rest once we get there.”  
“That's probably a good idea. What do you say Miri?”  
“Okay.”  
She nodded softly, eager to see the market so they they gathered in the garden to get ready.  
  


“Easy amo...”  
Takeshi spoke softly and ran his hands along Bran's neck and back before bringing the rune covered saddle blanket out of his shift and placing it over the strong back.  
“Okay, I'm bringing the saddle in now.”  
Takeshi slowly allowed his power to rise to activate the runes in the blanket without triggering Bran's new instincts.  
Moments later the padding appeared, then the saddle and Takeshi quickly grabbed the various straps and tightened them before bringing in the simple, bitless, bridle and reins that were mostly used to help Bran stay focused.  
“Ssh.... Easy... You can do it. Focus on my voice, my hands.”  
He resumed running his hands along Bran's neck until he could feel the more animalistic instincts fade away and the human mind regain control.  
Takeshi had been somewhat surprised, and amused, by Bran's desire to get used to being ridden, and insistence at having proper tack made, but if that was what Bran wanted, then he would do what he could to help.  
  


“There we go. Miri, are you ready as well?”  
“Mhm.”  
Takeshi quickly helped her adjust the wraparound skirt then lifted her into the saddle and adjusted it again so she wasn't revealing herself too much.  
“Miri, try to straighten your back a bit and don't push your legs forward.”  
Miri's unbalanced and somewhat slouching seat made Bran paw and dance a bit as it put pressure on some rather sensitive spots.  
“Hold on, let me adjust the stirrup a bit more. This saddle is made for someone my size so the fit will be a bit off.”  
Takeshi made a few adjustments, then had Miri put her feet back in the stirrups.”  
“That's better. Keep your back straight and use your thighs to stay in place.”  
“Okay, I'll try.”  
“Bran, does that feel better?”  
 _“Yeah, doesn't feel like dead weight anymore.”_  
“Good. Let's get going then.”  
The very careful way that Bran started walking earned him a few coo's and gentle touches, though Miri did look rather tense for a while, but it didn't take long before she started relaxing again.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Wow, this place is amazing.”  
Miri was looking around with wide eyes as they walked into the large marketplace and after a moment of consideration Takeshi turned to her.  
“Do you want stay up there with the view?”  
Bran's size in his horse form gave Miri a good vantage point to look out over the large area that was intended to comfortably house the average Obsidian Angel.  
“If it's okay with Bran I think I would prefer that.”  
 _“I don't mind at all. Shopping really isn't my thing”_  
“Okay. Thanks.”  
“Let's start by dropping by the tailors' guild to get some ideas for clothes for you.”  
“Please...”  
The simple wrap she was currently wearing was a gift from one of Lorelei's guards, an old, outgrown, garment that wasn't being used anymore.  
  


Miri had been offered new and more elaborate ones, but had refused the expensive gifts, only accepting the old, well worn piece she was currently wearing, and only in exchange for one of the spiral seashell ornaments she wore in her hair.  
Takeshi was immensely proud of the way she had made sure not to indebt herself by offering something of equal, or greater, value in exchange for the piece of clothing, the fact that the shell was from Atlantis gave it great value and had indebted the guard to Miri instead.  
It wasn't a formal debt, but the guard would feel obliged to assist Miri should she ever need it and that could come in handy.  
  


“Come here.”  
Once they reached the area where the tailors were set up Takeshi helped Miri out of the saddle.  
“Bran, do you want me to remove the tack?”  
 _“No, I'm fine like this.”_  
“Okay. Would one of you betas please stay with him?”  
“I'll do it.”  
“I'll stay too.”  
Dan and Emelie quickly offered and some of the others chose to stay as well while Takeshi took Miri to talk to the tailors.  
“Welcome House Shamarai.”  
They were greeted by one of the assistants and the others quickly indicated that they didn't need help while Takeshi brought Miri forward.  
  


“I would like to commission a suitable wardrobe for my young Seer here.”  
The assistant quickly assessed Miri which had her squirming slightly.  
“You are a shifter, right? A daughter of the deep?”  
“Yeah, I am.”  
“So no pants then? Skirts that are easy to remove and won't impair your ability to move your tail if you revert?”  
“Mhm...”  
“So we should go with the type of wrap you are currently wearing?”  
“Yeah, this one was made for merfolk who can shift.”  
Miri was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but Takeshi held back to let her handle it, he wouldn't intervene unless things turned really bad.  
“I want something more colorful, with my colors.”  
“I think I have a few ideas already. Come, join me at the drawing table.”  
Takeshi just smiled as Miri was dragged to a large table and a few of demons working the store gathered around and began making drawings, first of her, then suggestions for clothes.  
  


“Would you like something with the same type of gradient as your hair has?”  
“Can you add a bit of blue into the black?”  
“That beautiful blue from the tips of your fins?”  
One of the designers pointed somewhat hesitantly to the almost electric blue tips of her fins.  
“...”  
Miri's vivid blush made them smile widely at her, they were used to all kinds of odd reactions.  
“Shamarai Mi-Iera would you be willing to allow us to see your tail?”  
“Why do you call me Mi-Iera?”  
“You are a seer, are you not?”  
“Yeah...”  
“Mi-Iera is the proper way to address a seer in Urui.”  
“Oh, okay. I'm not all that good at Urui since I haven't had all that much opportunity to practice...”  
“You are doing quite well for someone who does not possess the demon hyper-linguistic ability.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Miri, don't forget to answer the question she asked you.”  
Takeshi reminded her with a teasing tone.  
  


“I need water enough to keep my tail submerged to change back without being uncomfortable.”  
“We could go to the fountain at the center of the market, it's pretty big and deep. And the water is clean enough to drink.”  
“Will that really be okay though? I mean, with me swimming in water that someone might want to drink?”  
“Of course, your kind are very pure and clean creatures, your presence would not taint the water in any way.”  
“Take, can we go to the fountain?”  
“Of course, do you want to walk, or do you want Bran to carry you?”  
“It doesn't look like it's very far so I think it's better if I walk, I need the training.”  
“Okay, but the dryads will be there, and I will ask Bran to join us just in case.”  
“And a beta.”  
Miri quipped softly.  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi nodded and turned to his mate to be.  
“Hiro, what about you?”  
“I'm fine here, but Roto seems eager to explore some more if that's okay.”  
“Okay, how about you let Roto join us then?”  
The shift in Hiroto's aura was instant and moments later a very eager Roto was giving Takeshi a tight hug.  
“Thanks...”  
“Roto, you don't need to ask my permission to rise, who is dominant is a matter between you and Hiro. We may sometimes ask for one of you, but even then it's up to you two.”  
Takeshi half scolded, half reassured them while they walked outside to rejoin the others and see who else would join them.  
It only took a few moments for the pack to decide that Bran would be coming, and that Dan would come with him, and Angel came with them as well as she insisted on wanting to test the water in the fountain before Miri entered it.  
  


“So, what's the verdict Angel?”  
Takeshi watched as she used one of her drones to sample the water and analyze it carefully, and he did the same using his aura.  
“The water should be safe, it has some minerals I can't identify, but I don't think they are dangerous...”  
“You're right, those minerals are actually good for Miri.”  
“Are the minerals good for everyone in the pack? And would they be beneficial if consumed, not just on skin contact?”  
“They are very good for all of us actually.”  
“Okay, I'm registering them as beneficial nutrients then.”  
“You do that.”  
While Takeshi spoke to Angel Miri walked toward the inner part of the fountain where water flowed over a raised ledge, and sat down so that the water flowed over her legs, moments later her tail returned and she carefully positioned it so that it wouldn't dry out.  
“You have a really beautiful tail.”  
The younger of the two artists was somewhat slackjawed at the sight while the older was drawing and taking notes with the single minded focus of a true artist.  
“Indeed she does. Maybe you should focus on trying to capture those stunning colors?”  
There was a hint of a warning growl in Takeshi's tone that instantly had the young male scrambling to do his job.  
  


“Take, be nice to the poor guy.”  
Dan mock scolded with a smile.  
“Can't have him ogling our sweet little Miri like that, now can I?”  
“Oh, so it has nothing to do with her expressing a desire to carry your children?”  
“Now what makes you think that?”  
Takeshi's feigned innocence only made Dan laugh, then trail kisses along his jawline, soothing any ruffled instincts.  
“I have no doubt she will give you some pretty amazing little mermaid daughters.”  
“Sons would be better though, to replenish the merfolk blood.”  
Takeshi countered softly, slightly uncomfortable with the turn of conversation, but at the same time he didn't want to reject Dan's gentle probing of the topic.  
“Yeah, but you're not a big fan of having sons, are you?”  
“True. These blasted instincts rebel at the potential competition from sons born to my House or Pack.”  
He huffed softly and leaned into the soft kisses for a moment, then he grabbed Dan and gave him a pretty hungry and dominant kiss in return before focusing back on Miri.  
  


“I want babies too...”  
Roto's soft words instantly had Takeshi's attention focused on him.  
“I'm sorry love, but that is one thing **I** can't give you.”  
“...”  
The sad and somewhat pained feel of Hiroto's aura had both Takeshi and Dan hugging him tightly.  
“Don't give up just yet. Hopefully someone in the pack will be willing to help you, if you think you can handle bedding someone else once we are mated.”  
“If I am in heat and you are with me I think I might be able to...”  
“See, there's hope.”  
Takeshi hummed softly and brushed his hand over Hiroto's wings, gently calming the emotional youma down a bit.  
“If you can't we could always try artificial insemination.”  
Dan's addition made Roto give him a tight hug and a very emotional kiss that had him blushing quite vividly.  
Takeshi just allowed their feelings to wash over him, savoring the the hope and gentle caring they radiated.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Takeshi estimated they had been at the fountain for about an hour when the two artists began setting their tools aside.  
“I think we have everything we need. Thank you Mi-Iera for showing us your tail, its beauty will inspire us.”  
“...”  
Miri just blushed at the praise, then quickly shifted back to having legs and scrambled over to Takeshi to hide.  
“Aw, my sweet little Miri, all embarrassed are you?”  
He hugged her tightly, offering safety while also teasing her softly, trying to encourage her to speak up in response to the comments from the artists.  
“Alpha meanie.”  
Miri's soft grumble held an equally teasing edge and Takeshi could feel her calming down.  
“Oh, really?”  
“No...”  
“Ready to head back to the store?”  
“Sure.”  
With a flicker of something almost predatory Takeshi flashed her a fanged smile, then he grabbed a squealing Miri and hoisted her up on his shoulders.  
“Comfortable?”  
“Mhm...”  
With Miri comfortable on his shoulders Takeshi began walking back toward the tailors' guild and the others followed behind, Dan and Roto whispering about the things they were seeing.  
  


“Mi-Iera, how about something like this?”  
One of the cloth designers showed them a drawing that showed a cloth with a fiery ombré like her hair that was dotted with sequins.  
“It's beautiful!”  
The black part of the fabric was dotted with a fairly large amount of almost electric blue sequins, then as it moved down the fabric through the red, orange and then yellow part the sequins became darker, and less numerous, leaving the bright yellow bottom of the fabric dotted by a handful of black sequins.  
“Take? Can I have this?”  
“Of course you can sweetie, but it might take a while for them to complete it.”  
“We can make enough for a few full garments in time for the Red moon market.”  
The demon in charge of making fabrics gave them a quick estimate.  
“That sounds good.”  
Takeshi nodded his agreement to the estimate.  
“Miri, you should pick a few of the standard fabrics so you can have something made today too.”  
“Oh, right...”  
Settling back Takeshi watched Miri dart between the rolls of fabric, eagerly comparing the colors to her hair and the fins on her arms.  
  


“We will have these items done by midday.”  
After a habitual look at his watch Takeshi huffed and glanced outside to try to determine the time.  
“It will be about two marks.”  
“Ah, thank you.”  
Takeshi quickly thanked the demon assistant before picking up Miri and rousing Hiroto who was half asleep.  
“Come on, let's go find some food.”  
  


By the time everyone made it to the central park area they had picked up quite a bounty of food from the various stalls and Takeshi was having a bit of a hard time making sure Miri didn't eat too much of the sweet, starchy, foods that she loved, but had a hard time digesting.  
“Miri, that's enough. If you eat any more of that you will get sick.”  
“But...”  
“I know you like that stuff, even crave it. But you can't digest it properly.”  
Managing her diet had been fairly easy while she was confined to the water, sure, she stole stuff every now and then using her starfish, but for the most part she ate what they brought her and whatever seafood she could catch.  
Now that she was walking around it was a lot harder to keep her away from foods that didn't agree with her.  
“Fine... I'll try...”  
It wasn't even a minute later that she reached for a steamed, sweet, bun and this time Takeshi just sighed, it would seem she would need to learn the hard way.  
Focusing inward on what his pack jokingly called his inner warehouse he did a mental check of the medical supplies he carried within and made sure he still carried the box of hospital style vomit bags, they might just come in handy the way Miri was eating.  
  


“Take, I'm not feeling so good...”  
It was maybe 20minutes after their meal when Miri began complaining about not feeling well, and Takeshi just brought a few bags out of his shift and handed them to her.  
“Try not to puke on anything.”  
Taking one of them he showed her how to use it, then resumed helping Linnéa sort through a large crate of glowing crystals to try to find a few that were close in color and brightness.  
The dismissal made Miri stare at him in confusion, then try to pull at their bond, pushing her feeling of nausea over it to try to get his attention and her entire demeanor wilted when he ignored her and numbed the bonds instead of doting on her.  
“Miri, our alpha has warned you repeatedly to be careful with what you eat and still you gorge yourself on things you know you can't digest properly.”  
Amanda stepped in and gave Miri a mix of an explanation and a gentle scolding.  
“But...”  
“Miri, you need to take responsibility for your own actions.”  
“But...”  
Miri tried her best to look small and pathetic.  
“Miri. No.”  
Amanda flared her aura rather sharply and gave Miri a glare.  
“Sorry Beta...”  
“Is that all?”  
Amanda pushed slightly which made Miri walk over to Takeshi with her head hanging.

“I'm sorry Alpha, I should have listened better.”  
“Indeed you should have, and now you will have to deal with the consequences.”  
“I know... I'm sorry.”  
Takeshi was struggling to resist the urge to just hug her and soothe her, but she needed to learn to be more careful.  
 _“Take, is it okay if I grow some demon mint for her?”_  
Emelie kept her question silent, she didn't want to interfere with the method Takeshi had picked for trying to teach Miri a lesson.  
 _“Of course. I want her to feel the consequences of her actions, but I don't want her to suffer needlessly.”  
“So wait until she has puked before offering it to her?”  
“Indeed.”_  
They didn't have to wait long before Miri began retching and by the time she was done emptying her stomach Emelie had a sprig of mint ready for her.

“Here, rinse, then chew on this, it will get rid of the bad taste and help settle your stomach a bit.”  
Emelie offered Miri a cup with water and the demon mint.  
“Thanks Em...”  
Takeshi didn't say anything, instead he waited for Miri to rinse and spit the water into the bag before getting rid of it with a flare of shadow fire to spare demon noses the unpleasant smell.  
“You really need to start being more careful about what you eat. You know your stomach can't handle food with a lot of starchy carbs.”  
Emelie continued with the gentle scolding.  
“But it's so good...”  
Listening to the conversation Takeshi decided to see if he could help Miri understand the problem.  
“Sugary foods has a lot of quick energy in them, and many species have an instinctual sweet tooth because of it. Merfolk are obvious one of those species, the problem is that you have these craving for all kinds of carbs, despite being unable to properly digest many of them.”  
“I guess... It's just.. It's so good...”  
Miri was squirming visibly, clearly embarrassed about her inability to resist the cravings, and somewhat subdued not just from feeling sick, but from the the scoldings she had received.  
“I know sweetie. You just need to stay away from the things you have a hard time with and eat things like fruits and berries instead, they don't give you any problems. And you're okay with things like honey and sugar too.”  
Reaching out he gently rubbed her back.

“Are you feeling better now that you got that stuff out of your stomach?”  
“A little. But I think I may throw up some more before I'm done...”  
“Possibly. Is the mint helping?”  
“A little.”  
“That's good. Do you think you'll be okay to keep looking around, or do you want to go home?”  
“No, I wanna stay!”  
“Okay sweetie.”  
Takeshi could feel her energy waning, but she was being stubborn, and eager to explore the new world that had opened up to her.  
 _“Bran, would you keep carrying her today?”  
“Of course. She's getting really tired, isn't she?”  
“Yeah, she is.”  
“Just like a kid.”  
“Indeed...”_  
Miri was more than happy to be placed back in the saddle rather than walk, and much to everyone's relief she managed to not throw up anymore as they explored the rest of the market, and picked up the first batch of clothes.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


By the time they returned from the market the Obsidian Halls had begun to darken, the glow of the crystal sky dimming to mimic the night outside, and everyone were feeling pretty tired, still not fully adjusted to the 50 hour day cycle.  
“Go on, get to bed everyone. I have plenty of fun planned for us tomorrow too.”  
Takeshi nudged his pack toward the den area and watched as they settled down to sleep letting instincts rise and make calm contentment flow through his aura and through the bonds.  
Watching his chosen family curl together in little piles and settling down soothed his instincts on the deepest, most primal level, a sleeping pack was a pack that felt safe, a pack that trusted their alpha.  
He just wished that Lucifer had been able to join them, the bond between was growing stronger, and the alpha aspects of Takeshi's instincts had begun to see the old angel as a pack member, and was objecting to him being near, but not with the pack.

Takeshi estimated that he had been playing Go with Angel for about two hours when the surface of the pool in the middle of the room rippled and Miri's head appeared.  
They watched her swim to the edge, then shift and leave the water.  
“Miri, you really should get more rest.”  
“I know, but I can't sleep.”  
Miri walked over to them and sat down next to Takeshi, leaning into his side.  
“I'm restless, and curious.”  
“Curious about what?”  
“If I can have sex with you like this and not revert, this form doesn't have the pheromone glands so I shouldn't trigger Manda like this.”  
Takeshi sucked in a sharp breath at the rather intimate topic and he could feel himself growing hard just from her words.

“Well, I'm more than willing to help you find out if you want to.”  
Takeshi quipped with a teasing smile.  
“I had a feeling you would say that.”  
She teased back, her smile gaining a somewhat sultry quality as she moved to straddle him.  
“My my, you are quite forward today.”  
“You mind?”  
There was a hint of hesitation in her voice and she stopped moving.  
“Not at all.”  
Placing his hands on her hips he gently traced the residual scales which made her suck in a breath and arch back slightly and as she did he carefully turned sideways so he could lay down with her still straddling his legs.  
  


Lorelei had told them quite a bit about how Miri's breed of merfolk matured, things that Miri herself had not been sure about.  
One of those things was that the duration of the second development phase that Miri was currently was highly individual, and that as far as she could tell Miri was already approaching the end of it and would show a very rapid mental development, again, and then grow into her adult form.  
Miri hadn't been all that happy about it though, she had made it quite clear that she didn't want to become all mature, but the pack had quickly reassured her by pointing out that Takeshi was an adult, and not the least bit mature unless he had to be.  
Takeshi had naturally objected to the portrayal, but it had calmed Miri down and helped her accept that growing up didn't mean she had to change.  
  


“Seeing you like this is definitely a very tempting sight.”  
Takeshi looked up at Miri and she wasn't just tempting, she was downright glorious with the way the flickering light of the fire crystals made her hair glow.  
“Oh really?”  
She teased softly while grinding herself against him, making him hiss and buck.  
“I see you have been watching me.”  
“Mhm, I especially like watching you when you're with Nel.”  
She blushed slightly, but didn't stop moving.  
“Oh, you want to bite me? Tease me?”  
“Can I? Bite you I mean...”  
“Of course, I like quite a bit of pain with my pleasure, and I especially enjoy being bitten.”  
“I know, it's just... You're an Alpha... And I'm not actually pack...”  
“Miri, you may not carry the pack mark, but I trust you, and my Alpha nature trusts you. I can handle being bitten by you.”  
  


His words made her break into a smile that was pure joy, then she leaned down and gave one of his nipples a teasing lick before sinking dainty, but sharp, teeth into the flesh around it.  
He could tell she was careful to only use the sharp, V-shaped, incisors and not the long, backwards curving, canines which would do quite a bit of damage as they were designed to be near impossible to dislodge without rending flesh.  
The sensation of her sharp teeth made him buck again, groaning as he struggled to stay in control and not push her to do what he wanted her to do.  
With a mix of curiosity and determination Miri trailed sharp nips over his skin, leaving small bleeding marks that she licked teasingly at, pushing Takeshi to the edge, and holding him there for quite a while before lowering herself onto him.  
“May I?”  
He reached up toward her, but didn't grab hold until she nodded with a soft smile.  
Grabbing hold of her hips he pulled down slightly, testing her reactions, determined to figure out what she enjoyed in her current form.  
As much as he wanted to test how much of his rougher preferences she was willing, and able, to allow he clamped down on that desire, this time would be about her, much like an arashiri.  
  


“Come on, let's get you back in the water.”  
Takeshi was still struggling to calm his breath as he carefully picked Miri up and carried her to the water.  
“Go on, shift so you can sleep properly.”  
“Cuddle?”  
She murmured, already half asleep as her tail returned.  
“Of course, for a while at least.”  
He shifted to his naga form and coiled around her while tucking her head under his chin.  
  


Miri was deep asleep when the distraught flare of an aura and a soft whimper told Takeshi that Linnéa was having nightmares again, she was prone to nightmares about losing the pack the way she had lost her family.  
He carefully untangled himself from Miri and saturated the water with his pheromones before shifting and leaving the pool to go take care of Linnéa.  
  


“Ssh, easy Linn, it's okay, we're all here, all safe. You will not be left alone again.”  
There was another soft whimper, then she curled into him and slowly began settling down, she didn't fully wake though and a careful peek at her dreams told him they were shifting away from the nightmares into something less disturbing.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Good morning!”  
Lucifer's tone was intentionally on the annoying side of chipper as he appeared in the garden and flared his aura to get everyone's attention.  
The assortment of grumblings, and flying objects, that greeted him only made him smile wider and look around for the loudest complainers to give them an extra dose of teasing.  
“Your old man didn't happen do be a rooster did he?”  
Bran grumbled which earned him a teasing smooch.  
“I do believe he was an angel, just like me.”  
”Stuff it featherbrain!”  
Bran almost growled which didn't really help much as there was no real anger behind the words, just sleep addled annoyance.  
“Aw, don't be like that.”  
“...”  
When Bran just turned away and pulled a pillow over his head Lucifer changed his focus and went for Takeshi who was smiling widely, he had been awake for a while already.  
  


“A kiss for me my beautiful _Yalii_?”  
Lucifer's teasing tone made Takeshi smile, but he made no move to get up.  
“I think I can spare one.”  
Takeshi teased back while beckoning for Lucifer to join him.  
“Guys, it's too early for views like that....”  
Linnéa grumbled softly, but made no move to look away until Takeshi broke off the kiss.  
  


“So, did you manage to clear your schedule for today?”  
Takeshi allowed Lucifer to pull him to his feet.  
“Indeed I did.”  
“And how upset is your Majordomo with you right now?”  
“Not as bad as I believed, he understands my need to bond with you guys. And this outing of yours is an excellent opportunity. He will no doubt get his revenge for being left with all the boring stuff though.”  
“He's a good friend.”  
“That he is.”  
Lucifer agreed with a soft hum.  
  


The plan for the day was to head to the large pastures where the Stable Master kept the herds and work on teaching Eric and Bran to fly in their new forms, and per Bran's request Takeshi would also look into having a proper flying saddle made.  
It would probably take several outings, but they did need to start somewhere.  
  


“So the stable master is your Uncle?”  
Sol took a moment to question Hugin and Munin between bites.  
“Oh, no, our uncle is independent from the royal stables. He's mostly interested in trying to breed some of the rarer steeds. But he does cooperate with the stable master a lot when it comes to trying to create suitable breeding lines.”  
“Oh, okay. I see.”  
“Sol, are you planning on hitting on the stable master?”  
“Maybe a little.”  
“Of course she is, she's worse than Take and Uncle Lucy combined...”  
Linnéa grumbled softly, mock complaining about her great aunt's love for trying to tease the locals into bed.  
“He's a mated male though, so try to be respectful.”  
Lucifer gave her a slight warning.  
“Of course. I don't want to damage any relationships or taint someones honor. Won't keep me from playing and teasing a bit though.”  
“And it shouldn't.”  
Sol was loving the way most demons were open to sexual relations without all the strings.  
  


Despite the many questions they managed to make quick work of breakfast and soon they had made arrangements with the kitchen so that they would have food and snacks ready to be brought out to them, then they prepared to leave.  
“Come, let's shadow travel.”  
Moments later auras bled together and the shadows accepted them, and spat them out outside the city, though away from the stable as both Eric and Bran wanted to shift somewhere with a bit more privacy and get comfortable before approaching the stable and all the demons there.  
  


“Oh my what an extraordinary specimen! I haven't seen a winged stallion in a very long time, much less been able to capture or lure one.”  
The stable master came rushing the moment he spotted them and instantly made a beeline for Bran who was now in his full form, horn, wings, and blue glow.  
“Would you be willing to consider letting him run with my mares? Most are coming into season within a moon.”  
Takeshi had been prepared for the behavior, but he hadn't warned Bran, he was much too curious to see how the young man would react to such a suggestion.  
  


It quickly proved to be well worth it as there were a few seconds of silence before Bran realized what had been said, then promptly dropped out of the shift with a somewhat undignified sound.  
“What?!”  
“Oh, my apologies, I didn't realize you were a shifter.”  
The old angel gave Bran a short bow in apology, but Takeshi knew Bran wasn't out of the woods just yet.  
“Are you like the Shamarai-yemo?”  
“Huh?”  
“Can you breed with other species and have offspring with your traits, or would the offspring be like the dam?”  
“Whoa! Wait! Time out!”  
Bran was doing some pretty impressive backpedaling while giving Takeshi a somewhat desperate look, begging him to say it was all just a joke.  
“Sorry Bran, but he is serious about wanting you to breed with the demonic mares, the various breeds have been on a decline for a while now, especially good stallions are rare.”  
“...”  
Takeshi turned to the stable master while waiting for Bran to catch up.  
“We don't know if he is able to breed with demonic mares, or what the result would be.”  
“You're actually serious about this?”  
“Mhm. I have sired a few foals myself with some of the rarest of the mares.”  
For a long moment Bran just stared at him and Takeshi was getting slightly nervous about how he would react.  
  


“Really?”  
“Yeah. I know it probably seems really weird to you since these mares are not like the umarita, these are not greater demons.”  
”So they're like actual animals?”  
“They are.”  
Takeshi could feel Bran's emotion flicker and shift, but there were no really negative ones, mostly just various shades of confusion.  
“Does knowing that I have taken the form of a stallion and bred with mares bother you?”  
“A bit... And yet... Not really...”  
For a moment Bran was searching for words, then he took a deep breath as he found them.  
“You did it to help preserve a species, right? Not because you actually wanna have sex with animals...”  
“Yes and no.”  
“...?”  
“The purpose was preservation, but when I was in the stallion form I allowed those instincts to rule me, so I did not act without desire.”  
“But that was the stallion wanting it, right? Not really you?”  
“True, it's not something I would desire without being under the influence of borrowed instincts.”  
“You know what, with all the strange shit that you have brought into my life I don't give a damn.”  
Bran made up his mind with a wide smile and a shake of his head.  
  


“What about the rest of you?”  
Takeshi looked between the newer members of his chosen family with a slightly nervous edge to his aura.  
“I don't care.”  
Sol was the first to speak up and she did so immediately and without any hint of hesitation, and once she had spoken the others quickly agreed with her that they didn't mind that Takeshi had used his ability to try to save some of the rare species of demonic horses, even if the method was somewhat unusual.  
  


“So, shifter-iero, would you be willing to try?”  
The stable master had been waiting impatiently while Takeshi spoke to the others, and now he wanted answers.  
“Please, my name is Bran. And honestly, I don't know. I'm kinda new to this...”  
“Ah, one of Shamarai-yemo's blessed are we?”  
“Yeah...”  
“Welcome to a new world then.”  
“Thanks...”  
There was a moment of silence, then Bran spoke up again.  
“I won't make any promises other than promising to think about it, is that okay?”  
“Of course Iero, your honesty is appreciated.”  
“...”  
When Bran started looking slightly uncomfortable, and out of words, Takeshi moved in to try to get things back on track.  
  


“I was hoping that you, with your experience with raising orphaned beasts, would be able to assist with teaching Eric and Bran how to fly in a nice, safe, manner.”  
“I see... I will try to assist.”  
“Um, Take..?”  
Bran instinctively tugged on the bond that had formed when Takeshi changed him, giving Takeshi the mental image of a child tugging on a sleeve for attention which made him smile and gently brush his aura against Bran's.  
“And Bran here would like to know if you may be able to assist him with a saddle he can use when flying.”  
“I would have to assess his flight first, not all fliers have the power or ability to be suitable mounts.”  
“I guess that makes sense...”  
Even the old stable master could feel Bran's hesitation and disappointment at hearing that he might not be able to carry a rider while flying.  
  


“I wouldn't worry too much Iero, your form looked strong, and you are clearly not an ordinary _Dtsh-a-Nckt_ , you seem to have some sort of energy or elemental based powers as well.”  
“A what?”  
Everyone was having problems trying to figure out the strange word that was apparently the name for the species that Bran resembled the most.  
“ _Dtsh-a-Nckt._ I am sorry, but the species is so rare it has no Urui name and the name given to them by the elementals native to the region where they are found is not an easy one.”  
“No kidding, I think I rather just stick with Pegacorn...”  
Bran grumbled softly...  
“Pegacorn?”  
Now it was the stable master's turn to be confused, he did have the demonic language ability, but it was weak and it had taken him quite a lot of time to learn English at a reasonable level, and even his Urui wasn't all that great.  
“It's a mix of the words used for mythological horses in the Human Realm. Pegasus, winged horses, and Unicorn, horses with a horn.”  
“Isn't Pegasus a specific winged horse though? Not a species?”  
Linnéa's question made them pause for a moment.  
  


“Yeah, Linn is right, but it's usually used to refer to any winged horse.”  
Emelie quickly backed her up.  
“I don't think I have ever heard of any other word being used...”  
Dan was scratching his head trying to recall his time in school.  
“Actually, there is a word for winged horses in Greek, _Pterippus_. But it's not very common.”  
Sol had a teasing smile playing on her face as her fascination with all things considered mythological or supernatural had led her to studying a lot, and picking up all kinds of trivia  
“There's also the word _Alicorn_ , it has the same linguistic root as Unicorn, originally the word for the horn, it's substance, in alchemy, but it's also used as a species name for winged unicorns.”  
“I don't like it...”  
Bran instantly objected with a somewhat confused look.  
“Dunno why, maybe 'cause I'm used to calling it a pegacorn?”  
“Possibly.”  
Takeshi agreed with Bran, for some reason he preferred pegacorn as well.  
“I think I prefer pegacorn as well.”  
Several of the others agreed with Bran that they liked pegacorn the best.  
“Pegacorn it is then.”  
Lucifer flared his aura with a hint of teasing authority.  
“As you wish Etiro.”  
The stable master instantly surrendered to the authority of Lucifer and managed to look a bit bothered by the fact that he was there.  
“Easy there Yon, relax. I am not here as your lord today. I am merely here as a guest of pack Kiryu.”  
The stable master slowly relaxed and the conversation was steered back toward the flying lessons they had planned.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Bran, why don't you show Hirundo your intermediate form first this time?”  
“Hirundo?”  
Bran managed to look quite confused again.  
“Hirundo is the name Em gave our friend here, after the bird genus Hirundo, swallows and martins, to give us something easier to pronounce than his Obsidian name.”  
Takeshi motioned toward the stable master.  
“Oh, okay.”  
“I had this thing for naming the Obsidian around us after birds with black feathers, and in his case I was thinking about the blue swallow.”  
Emelie laughed softly as she recalled how she used to hand out names.  
“I was surprised by a young Shirai-Yema taking such liberties, but it is a good name, an honorable name, so I don't mind.”  
Hirundo gave them a crooked smile while giving Emelie a nudge with his wing.  
“My first meeting with Pack Kiryu was a somewhat confusing experience.”  
The somewhat diplomatic words had everyone laughing, they had heard plenty of stories from the 10 years that Takeshi, Emelie and Knight had spent in the Demon Realm.  
  


“How about we try to get back on track?”  
Takeshi huffed softly at the repeated distractions which earned him some teasing quips.  
“He's got a point, we went here to help Eric and Bran with their flying...”  
Dan had a bit of a vested interest in both Eric and Bran learning how to fly properly.  
“True...”  
“I guess...”  
“Give me a moment to focus please.”  
Bran took a few steps away from the group, then focused on shifting.  
“That was a good shift, a bit slow, but there wasn't any hesitation or fluctuations this time.”  
Takeshi gave his assessment of Bran's shift while moving closer.  
 _“It seems to be easier to shift to this form...”_  
“You are probably just hesitating because the other form is so obviously _other_ , while this one can pass for a mortal horse.”  
 _“I guess...”_  
“Is something wrong?”  
Hirundo could only hear Takeshi's end of the conversation and seemed genuinely concerned about Bran's well being.  
“No, he's just noting the difference in how it feels to take this form compared to his full form.”  
“Oh. Okay.”  
Takeshi could feel the change in Hirundo's aura as he slowly approached, intentionally projecting the calm, safe, aura that wouldn't spook a demonic steed, or in this case, instinct driven shapeshifter.  
  


“This form is quite beautiful too. Strong without appearing heavy, a graceful strength.”  
The focused attention set Bran's instincts on edge and he began prancing around a bit which made Hirundo pick a soft brush from his pocket and begin to groom him with a steady hand.  
“Uhm, why is he grooming Bran?”  
Linnéa was slightly confused by the action as it was quite clear that Bran didn't actually need grooming.  
“It's something he so used to doing that he does it without thinking, without focusing any intent into his actions, placing him in a state of relaxation almost like meditation.”  
Takeshi made sure to keep his voice calm so he wouldn't undo what Hirundo was trying to do.  
“Oh, and Bran's instincts respond to that?”  
“Indeed, it makes him register as non-threatening.”  
“What is he saying?”  
Linnéa was curious about the soft chirps and warbles that Hirundo was voicing while giving Bran thorough grooming.  
“It's pretty much the Obsidian version of whispering sweet nothings.”  
Lucifer was the one to answer her.  
“Telling him he's beautiful, asking him to keep still, praising him for being calm, whatever helps.”  
He translated the overall meaning to those who were not yet familiar enough with the Obsidian language to understand it.  
  


“Feeling better now?”  
Takeshi approached Bran and ran his hands over his neck and back.  
 _“Embarrassed, but calm. He has a really nice touch, like you...”_  
“That's good. Think you're ready to move to the next form?”  
Bran just nodded with a soft snort so they all took a few steps back so he wouldn't feel crowded.  
“Gorgeous. He is absolutely gorgeous...”  
Hirundo sighed softly as the wings and horn appeared and the electric blue bled into his coloring.  
“Yeah, he turned out pretty damn stunning.”  
Takeshi agreed with a smile as he walked up to Bran again, brushing his hands over strong muscle before moving on to the wings, running his hands along the thin, but tough, membranes.  
“Feel like stretching those wings out for us?”  
 _“Sure, gimme some room.”_  
Takeshi motioned for the others to back away a bit again.  
“My my, those are a pair of really nice wings. I do believe you will turn out to be a very strong flier.”  
Hirundo continued his evaluation of Bran's form as he pranced around and enjoyed feeling the prana charged wind against his wings.  
  


“Come on Eric, you too. Iðunn, Eir, Linn you guys might wanna take a moment to get used to the feel of the prana on the wind here. And maybe help catch some of the local pests.”  
“Okay!”  
“I think I'll take Rai and head to the feed store, he's been pestering me for a good hunt for a while now.”  
Dan looked toward the large barn building where a lot of extra food for the various beasts housed there was stored, something that attracted quite a few pests, no different than the rodents that made Human Realm barns their home.  
“That would be most appreciated. Just let the stable hands know what you are doing so they don't think they have wild predators in there.”  
“Will do.”  
There was more to it though than just Dan wanting to take Rai hunting, Dan didn't want his worrying about Eric, and Bran, to interfere with their flying lessons.  
“Don't worry Dan, I'll keep a good eye on them.”  
Takeshi offered Dan a bit of reassurance, and a teasing kiss, before nudging him toward the large stable and barn.  
  


“Okay, spread your wings, let the wind stir your instincts. The reaction can be pretty strong so be prepared for it.”  
Hirundo spoke with a calm, soft voice accentuated by small chirps that spoke of an eager excitement.  
The two students were both eager to test their wings in the most literal sense of the term and soon Eric was drawing quite a few smiles as he used his strong legs to jump into the air and flap his wings eagerly, he still didn't have the rhythm and motions down though so he wasn't able to get enough lift to actually fly.  
“That's good Eric, keep trying. Your body knows this at an instinctual level, you just need to find the motions, remind yourself of how it feels.”  
The pack echoed the encouragement of Hirundo's words as they watched the pair eagerly working on figuring out the secret of flight.  
“Isn't Bran supposed to be a predatory species?”  
Linnéa sounded somewhat confused when Bran took a break and started grazing on the tall grass along one of the fences.  
“He is, but that grass is highly nutritious even for the predatory breeds, the fact that he is grazing so eagerly shows that he is in touch with his instincts. They both are.”  
Bran's eager attention to the tall grass had drawn Eric closer and while they spoke he took a careful nibble at the grass and soon both of them were having their fill.  
  


“That tasty is it?”  
Takeshi walked up to them and picked a few straws of the grass and he could feel a strong surge of amusement as he took a bite from one of the straws.  
“Hmm, it's actually pretty good. I think this would make a really good base for a breakfast juice.”  
He hummed and took another bite while somewhat distractedly handing the bunch of grass back to the others.  
“You mean like those wheat-grass smoothies?”  
“Mhm...”  
Most of his pack eagerly grabbed a straw, the newer additions slightly more hesitant, but they all had a taste.  
“This is really good...”  
“I don't know what it tastes like, but I like it.”  
“You have a strange pack Yemo...”  
Hirundo was amused by the sight of the entire pack grabbing at the grass and chewing away, slowly getting the juicy pulp out of the tough grass then spitting out the fibers that remained.  
“They have good instincts.”  
Takeshi hummed between bites from his own bundle of straws.  
“That you do, all of you.”  
The old stable master agreed with a nod.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Great job Eric!”  
“Yay!”  
The cheering when Eric did his first proper lap, not just gliding, was loud and had the herd of demon mares raising their head to see what was going on and soon the herd was moving their way as the curious yearlings moved closer and their dams followed to keep an eye on them.  
“Look at Bran...”  
Emelie half whispered as the approach of the mares triggered Bran's instincts, making him prance about and show off.  
“Well, they are nearing their heat and he can no doubt sense that even more acutely than I can.”  
Takeshi tested the scent on the air.  
  


“Wait, you can pick up on their heat?”  
“Mhm, their scent has begun to change it won't be long before they start being receptive.”  
“Take, are you responding to their pheromones?”  
Emelie's tone was equal parts curious and teasing.  
“A little. I think it's a remnant from borrowing their form and breeding with them.”  
“You are more than welcome to have your way with them again if you wish.”  
Hirundo eagerly offered him to run with the herd.  
“Oh, hoping the flame-mares will accept me again?”  
“Very much so, the mares you sired are growing well. And maybe we could be fortunate enough for you to sire a stallion this time.”  
The yearlings were eagerly pushing at Hirundo, begging for attention and he rewarded them with scratches and gentle pats.  
  


“Oh, look, Bran is getting ready to try to fly again!”  
This time Bran's aura felt slightly different, showing that he was deep within his instincts, most likely a reaction to the mares being so close.  
“He did it!”  
Linnéa was clapping her hands excitedly as Bran lifted from the ground with a few strong flaps of his wings.  
“Indeed, it would seem the mares helped pull out his instincts.”  
The watched Bran fly a small lap around the herd, then land with a flare of power and prance about a bit, showing off his strength to the curious mares.  
“Easy Bran, don't let the instincts overwhelm you. Relax, let the urges fade.”  
Takeshi gently approached Bran and carefully talked him down, not wanting him to act on his instincts without his human mind being part of it.  
At first he was greeted with a sharp trumpet call and Bran rearing up, brandishing deadly hooves in warning.  
  


“Easy amo, ssh, relax.”  
Takeshi slowly approached with his arms slightly extended, but still low enough to not be seen as a threat.  
“That's it big boy, settle down. Take control of those instincts.”  
Bran was still prancing and pawing as Takeshi moved close to his side and began running his hands down his neck, but he was starting to relax.  
 _“Take?”_  
Bran's tone was hesitant and confused.  
“That's right amo, I'm here, I'm not a threat to you, nor the herd, let those instincts fade.”  
Moments later Bran's form shivered slightly and was replaced with his human form seeking comfort.  
“That was a bit...”  
“Unsettling? Instincts getting the better of you?”  
“Yeah... The herd, the way they affected me...”  
“They did seem to trigger some pretty strong instincts.”  
Takeshi half comforted, half teased, wanting to see if Bran would open up about what he had felt.  
“Yeah. I think I definitely wouldn't have any problems performing if I agree to try to breed with them...”  
“And that bothers you?”  
“Not as much as it probably should. But give it time...”  
Bran huffed in response, clearly amused by the whole ordeal.  
“Oh well, it helped you fly at least.”  
“Yeah, I did fly didn't I?”  
“You did, and quite well too.”  
The pack quickly gathered around to congratulate him, though mindful not to spook the curious herd.  
  


“Are they always this curious and forward?”  
Iðunn smiled as two of the giant mares were trying to shove their heads at her at the same time.  
“Only when they feel safe. You register as a stable, well protected herd to them and that makes them feel safe.”  
Hirundo smiled as he spoke, he was clearly very happy that the old mares allowed the yearlings to play around with them, and even approached them themselves.  
“But we also register as predators, don't we?”  
“You do, but they are predators too. And a calm, sated, predator isn't a threat to them as a healthy predator won't hunt when sated. At least not when food is abundant, in scarcer times they might kill if given the opportunity in order to stockpile.”  
”Oh, yeah. Predators don't kill for fun, they only kill to eat.”  
“Most at least, there are some that lack the instinctual inhibitions.”  
“Like humans..?”  
“Like humans.”  
Hirundo agreed with a somewhat apologetic tone.  
“I think most humans have just lost their way due to the imbalance.”  
“It's okay Hirundo, we know humans have lost it, you don't need to make excuses for them, for us.”  
“Thank you Iera.”  
“No, no titles, I'm just Iðunn, or Ðunn if you prefer.”  
“As you wish Iðunn.”  
She was about to say something else, but was distracted when a third mare joined the other two and they managed to knock her of balance, leaving her flat on her back with the large heads looking down at her, snorting softly as they took in her scent, making sure she was unhurt.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_New Horizons_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“So, do you think I'll be able to fly with a rider?”  
Bran was eager to hear Hirundo's opinion.  
“In the Demon Realm at least, I can't make any promises about the Human Realm.”  
“Because of the prana?”  
“Indeed, you make excellent use of the abundant prana to bolster your flight. You are clearly capable of mechanical flight but I'm unsure if your strength would be enough to carry a rider without bolstering it with your power. And your reserves might not be able to hold up for very long without the abundant prana around to draw from.”  
“Okay, that makes sense.”  
“What about me?”  
Eric spoke up with poorly hidden curiosity.  
“The same applies to you as well.”  
Hirundo looked somewhat pensive for a moment before turning to Iðunn, Eir and Linnéa.  
  


“You girls were also drawing on the prana to bolster your flight. I believe that if you can learn to make your form larger you could carry a rider as well, much like the birds used by the hunters.”  
“Really?”  
“I believe so.”  
“Daddy!”  
“Can you teach us to become bigger like you can?”  
“Please Take?”  
Trippe sets of begging eyes had Takeshi surrendering instantly.  
“I'll try.”  
“Thanks!”  
“If Pack Kiryu agrees to attempting to sire a few foals with the herd I will see to have saddles fitted and crafted for those who wish to try carrying a rider.”  
Hirundo offered them a bargain, and Takeshi quickly agreed, flier saddles were expensive and hard to make, and he didn't mind borrowing the form of a demon stallion, surrendering to the instincts and letting lose with the mares of the herd.  
  


“Bran, would you be okay with carrying me back?”  
The had decided to walk back to enjoy the scenery, but Miri was somewhat tired after maintaining her new form all day.  
“Of course Miri. Take, can you help me with the saddle?”  
“Of course. And that reminds me we need to work on teaching you how to do it yourself.”  
By now the process of bringing in the saddle was a familiar one, and it didn't take very long to do it as Bran relaxed a lot faster than usual.  
“That's a quite interesting solution to keep from needing to carry a saddle along.”  
Hirundo had watched the process with avid curiosity.  
“We needed something to help Bran until he has a chance to learn to bring things with him into the shift.”  
“Would you be willing to share your design? You have a somewhat unique way of applying techniques, ways that most wouldn't even consider.”  
“I would, in return for a share in the profits you will no doubt make from it.”  
“Naturally.”  
Hirundo smiled widely as he bowed, then offered Takeshi his hand as he had learned was the human way.  
“To gainful cooperation.”  
He followed up with a proper oath, calling Lucifer as his witness, swearing to give Takeshi a fair share, and he also promised not to focus too much on making profit, but instead make sure that it would benefit not just the wealthy.  
  


“You know me well old friend.”  
Takeshi smiled and brushed his aura against Hirundo in a gesture of gratitude and companionship that made the old angel turn deep black.  
“I merely wished to honor your generosity...”  
“Hirundo, will you still not call me friend?”  
“You are Yemo of a great House, Alpha of an amazing pack, and you are Amiara Yalii...”  
Takeshi shook his head with a sigh, as useful as his titles could be he hated it when they created distance to those he considered worthy of friendship.  
“I am Take, and I don't care what our titles are. I have considered you a friend for a long time, and I wish you would look beyond my titles and do the same.”  
”I'll try... Take...”  
The somewhat hesitant answer made Takeshi cross his arms over his chest and level Hirundo with a mock glare.  
“♪♫♪♪”  
The soft warble accentuated by a sharp chirp made Takeshi stare at Hirundo for a long moment, then break down laughing as his mind caught up.  
“That's more like it.”  
It would be near impossible to translate what had been said, but it had been a heartfelt expression of friendship, combined with the Obsidian linguistic equivalent of flipping someone the bird.


	3. A Brand New Year

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Are all parties in the Obsidian Halls this... Formal?”  
Bran was struggling not to yawn as he looked out over the Grand Hall where the Obsidian Court was celebrating the Obsidian equivalent of New Years Eve with a very fancy, very formal, Royal Ball, complete with a string orchestra playing what sounded like classic waltz music.  
“Oh, is the Royal Ball not to your taste?”  
Lucifer teased softly.  
“Not really, no...”  
“I hate it too...”  
The soft confession had everyone smiling and agreeing that it was pretty boring.  
  


“Don't worry, I just need to make an appearance here for formality's sake, then I was planning on taking my Blood Guard and join the hunters.”  
“The hunters do sound like they know how to have fun.”  
Bran nodded to himself.  
“I think you'll like it.”  
Takeshi quipped softly, the hunters did know how to party.  
  


Due to it being high season for the hunters they really hadn't had a chance to visit them, but Takeshi intended to change that once the off-season began by taking everyone to train with hunters, if possible he wanted them all to be acknowledged as full fledged hunters.  
  


“Come on, let's go.”  
Deciding that he had been present for as long as was required to not insult his guests Lucifer gave Takeshi and the others a gentle nudge with his aura motioned for them to follow him.  
“Finally, if I had one more offer for a fancy, boring dance I would have clocked someone...”  
Linnéa grumbled once they had stepped outside the privacy barriers of the Grand Hall.  
“What a shame, I would have enjoyed seeing that.”  
Lucifer quipped in a tone that told them he would have backed her wholeheartedly had she actually smacked one of the annoying nobles.  
The snickering from the Blood Guard made it quite clear they would have enjoyed such a distraction as well.  
  


“Those fires over there, is that the hunters' party?”  
Bran pointed toward the glow of flames off in the distance.  
“It is.”  
Lucifer confirmed the guess.  
“Can you feel it yet?”  
Takeshi gave Bran a gentle nudge to make him focus on the distant glow, and the deep thrum echoing through the ground.  
“Feel?”  
“Go on shift, the senses of your beast form should tell you what I mean.”  
“Okay...”  
Takeshi watched Bran shift, and prance about a bit before stilling, then shift back again and kneel down to place his hands against the ground.  
“That's some serious bass they have going there.”  
Lucifer and the Blood Guard watched with avid curiosity as the pack all made themselves comfortable on the ground, trying to feel the vibrations.  
“If we can feel it like this from here the feeling at the source must be amazing.”  
Bran's mood was rapidly improving.  
“Indeed, so how about we hurry up and get there?”  
Lucifer huffed with a smile and soon everyone were heading toward the glow of the large fires.  
  


As they came closer the sounds became more distinct and they could hear large drums beating out a powerful, primal pulse.  
“It's almost like war drums...”  
Linnéa hummed almost to herself.  
“With a touch of tribal shamanism...”  
Sol added with a somewhat awed tone.  
“It reminds me a bit of Taiko drums.”  
Takeshi added his own impression of the powerful rhythm.  
As they came closer they could hear other instruments blend with the pulse of the drums, but overall it was a very deep sound that was felt every bit as much as heard.  
  


When the fires came into visual range they could see the hunters dancing around them, stomping, leaping and spinning in wild abandon, surrendering themselves to the beat of the music and soon most of the pack had thrown themselves into the mass of moving bodies.  
As the night moved on the music and dance changed slightly, slowing down and gaining a sexual edge as the participants moved closer together, grouping up and moving together in a gyrating dance as their auras rose and began to blend.  
  


“Do the Obsidian use fireworks for celebrations?”  
Linnéa had taken a seat by one of the low tables where a pair of Blood Guards were helping Eriko keep an eye on Takara and Isabelle, Takeshi and Hiroto were there too, but they were mostly focused on each other, the primal energies pulling Roto to the surface.  
“Fireworks?”  
The shorter of the guards turned to her with a very confused expression.  
“Uhm...”  
She desperately tried to think of a way to explain fireworks.  
“It's like projectiles that are shot into the air and explode into various colors.”  
“No, that's not something we have, maybe some other demons do, but I can't recall anything like what you are describing.”  
“Too bad, It's the best part of New Year's back home...”  
“I can create a show using foxfire if you want me to. It won't be all loud though.”  
Eriko offered to give Linnéa what she wanted.  
“Really?”  
“Mhm, I happen to think good fireworks is a vital part to any celebration as well.”  
“That would be great!”  
After a moment Linnéa settled down and turned to Eriko with a serious edge to her aura.  
“What would your price be?”  
“Nothing more than you having a good time as this is something I want as well.”  
“Thanks!”  
Linnéa gave Eriko a tight hug before the old fox rose and walked toward the large fires, making her way through the gyrating mass of bodies and over to the low wall on the other end of the feast area.  
  


Raising her arms Eriko called upon the power within and began glowing a pale bluish green before sparks of color began shooting from her, drawing the attention of the crowd and soon she had everyone mesmerized as she allowed her power to synchronize to the beat of the music.  
The following show was nothing short of amazing and it had the crowd first silent, then roaring with amazement and awe at the display.  
  


“Sweet little Linn, I think you may just have started a new tradition here with the hunters.”  
Lucifer hummed in appreciation, enjoying the way the display had affected the hunters, his Blood Guard, and everyone else gathered by the bonfires.  
“Too bad I don't know how to make the real ones. I know a bit of the basics, but I don't know how to do it...”  
“I know how to make youkai fireworks. And Eriko probably does as well as kitsune love such shows.”  
Hiroto spoke up from his spot tucked into Takeshi's arms.  
“Indeed I do.”  
Eriko supplied.  
“Are youkai fireworks different than human ones?”  
This time it was Dan asking the questions as he loved his pyrotechnics as well.  
“Not really. For the most part they are the same.”  
Hiroto scratched his chin while trying to think of any differences.  
“Not as loud though, youkai fireworks are focused on the visual display while trying to keep as quiet as possible.”  
Eriko continued when Hiroto fell silent.  
“Because youkai ears are so much more sensitive than human ones?”  
“Indeed.”  
Hiroto and Eriko both confirmed Linnéa's guess.  
  


“Hiro, Eriko, would you be willing to try to teach a few of our artisans how to create these fireworks?”  
Lucifer was eager to try to gain the knowledge for the Obsidian Halls, it would be quite a thing to show off to visiting Lords, or display during the many feasts, raising the esteem of his lands.  
“Sure.”  
“For a price.”  
The difference in the replies made Lucifer snicker and agree with Eriko that they would naturally be given some sort of reimbursement for their assistance.  
When they started negotiating the price Takeshi quickly became slightly frustrated since it drew Hiroto's attention away from him, and the energy of the feast had him in a highly aroused state and he wanted his mate-to-be's full attention.  
“Ouch! Take..?”  
Hiroto grumbled when Takeshi grabbed him and used quite a bit of his strength to tug him back and tuck him under his chin while shifting to his draconian form so he could wrap his wings around him to keep him from moving.  
“I think we better continue this once Take has calmed down a bit.”  
Lucifer laughed at the possessive display.  
“That does sound like a good idea.”  
Eriko agreed with a soft smile.  
  


“Uncle Lucy, when does this thing end?”  
Iðunn and Eir were using Lucifer as a pillow, watching as subtle gold hue's turned to pink as dawn set upon them.  
“This feast lasts for 5 days.”  
“Really?”  
“Indeed. This was just the first day.”  
He moved slightly to get a more comfortable seat before starting to explain about the festivities.  
“The nobles don't really make much fuss over it other than what you saw in the Grand Hall, others, like the hunters, tend to go a bit more all out. They spend the nights eating, drinking, dancing, and having lots of sex. The days are spent resting, playing games, and preparing food for the nights.”  
“Sounds like fun.”  
“I think you will like it. But I also think you two should get some rest.”  
“Will you watch over us while we sleep?”  
“Of course Eir.”  
When both of them began tugging on his wings he smiled and wrapped them tighter around them.  
“Sweet dreams.”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Alpha, the pack wishes to talk to you.”  
The sun had risen fully when Emelie approached Takeshi and flared her aura at him to get his attention away from Hiroto.  
“What?!”  
He snapped at her before quickly apologizing.  
“Sorry, my instincts are total mess...”  
“We have noticed.”  
She hummed at him with a smile.  
“The pack has spoken about it and we have come to a decision, If you want to complete the bond tonight, you may.”  
“But, it hasn't been a year yet..?”  
Hiroto mumbled in confusion.  
“Not in the Human Realm no, but with the chronoshifts and all it's actually been more than a year.”  
The smiles, and hungry kisses that followed was plenty enough to let everyone know how the pair felt about it and they quickly set out to make sure they could properly celebrate a mating the following night.  
  


“Miri, are you feeling okay in that pond?”  
Takeshi made himself comfortable at the edge of the pool where Miri was resting.  
“Yeah, it's really nice. The hunters helped make it.”  
“Mhm, I saw that.”  
When Marakell and the dryad sisters began working on making a pool for Miri to sleep in several of the hunters had pitched in and together they had dug in from a small stream that ran along the edge of the Obsidian City, creating a natural pool with gently flowing water.  
“They seem really nice. I like them.”  
“I like them too.”  
He agreed with her while bringing a brush out of his shift.  
“I like them a lot better than most of those nobles...”  
“You know what, so do I.”  
He hummed in agreement while starting to brush her hair.  
  


“Do you think I could become a hunter?”  
“It's possible, but the trials might be tough for you since you wouldn't only have to face an adult gong, but you would have to fight your very nature at the arid plains where the trial is performed.”  
“I want to try anyway... I want to show them I can be strong too.”  
“I know you do, and you **are** strong. But you don't have to prove that on their terms entirely, you are an aquatic hunter first and foremost, not an aerial or terrestrial one like the Obsidian Hunters.”  
“I still want to try...”  
“Then I will have a word with the Master of the Hunt on your behalf. It's ultimately his decision, but having the backing of several accomplished hunters will help.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Now stop moving around so I can brush your hair.”  
“Are you going to groom everyone?”  
Takeshi sighed when she squirmed slightly to try and look at him while she spoke.  
“Probably, now keep still.”  
He accentuated his words with a mock growl that made her giggle, and obey.  
  


Receiving the pack's blessing to go ahead with the mating had set off all kinds of instincts and now Takeshi found himself feeling a need to reinforce the pack bonds, which manifested itself as a strong urge to groom them all.  
His pack eagerly teased him by grumbling and complaining while he meticulously groomed them, but they smelled and tasted of content happiness.  
  


“Bran, come here.”  
“What? I'm not...”  
“Like I have mentioned before, as far as my instincts are concerned you belong to the pack, and right now my instincts are telling me to reinforce all my claims.”  
Takeshi explained while motioning for Bran to come and sit down so he could brush his hair for a while.  
Bran's short hair did frustrate him a bit, but after a thorough brushing and quite a bit of nuzzling Takeshi was satisfied with the way his scent clung to Bran, claiming him for the pack.  
“Thanks for humoring me...”  
Takeshi hummed softly.  
“It actually felt pretty good. Calming, like when Hirundo was grooming me in my other form, but different, just as calming, but more intimate...”  
Bran paused for a moment, then turned to look over his shoulder.  
“I don't think I would mind if you wanna do it again.”  
“I probably will, so it's good you enjoyed it.”  
Takeshi gave Bran a light nudge to get him to get up before getting up himself and walking over to Sol who was eager to receive a grooming  
  


“Your touch is pure magic.”  
She arched into the touch, practically purring.  
“Sol, do I need to remind you to mind your powers?”  
Takeshi could feel a slight rise in her power.  
“Sorry.”  
The power immediately faded.  
“This feels really good and that makes it harder to control those powers.”  
“It's okay, I'm not angry. It was just a reminder.”  
Leaning in he trailed a few teasing kisses across her shoulders and his instincts were very pleased when she tilted her head and allowed him to drag his fangs across her neck.  
He couldn't help voicing a frustrated growl when she suddenly darted away with a laugh, he had known from the start that she probably would though.  
“Teasing little temptress.”  
He grumbled before pouncing on one of the Blood Guards who was lounging nearby and began brushing his hair and preening his wings, the Blood Guard really wasn't his to make a claim on though, nevertheless the targeted angel accepted his antics with a calm amusement, allowing him to have his way.  
A few soft chirps as he approached the mashen made Takeshi pause for a moment.  
“Is it okay if I touch your mashen?”  
“I think so. But please, be careful.”  
“I will.”  
Takeshi resumed the careful preening, drawing a soft, moaning, warble from his _victim_ as the angel spread his wings slightly to give Takeshi better access.  
Though, when he reached the base of the wings the involuntary chirps turned nervous so he settled for giving the shoulders a gentle squeeze before moving his way back up the wings.  
“Thanks for not pushing it.”  
The Blood Guard spoke the Obsidian language and his voice was slightly emotional, but carried sub-harmonics that spoke of pleasure.  
“It's not my place to ask you to submit.”  
“I would have been willing to had you asked me to.”  
The guard admitted softly.  
“I'll keep that mind.”  
The teasing quip had the guard smiling, then giving him a smack with the tip of his wing, though being just feathers all it did was tickle him.  
  


Takeshi was still feeling the instinctive urges, but he tried to contain himself, and was clearly not very successful as one of the younger Blood Guards approached him then kneeled down with his wings slightly spread.  
“If you still feel the urge to groom and preen I wouldn't mind offering myself...”  
Moments later the angel blushed pure obsidian, but didn't move and Takeshi could smell a faint hint of arousal wafting from him.  
“Hoping for more than just a good preening, are you?”  
“If you're willing.”  
The answer was calm and honest with a slightly teasing edge which spoke well to Takeshi's taste in partners.  
“Maybe, we will see.”  
Slowly running his hands over the large wings Takeshi tested the reactions and found mostly relief and eagerness, but also a strong undertone of sadness.  
  


“Would you care to share why you seem almost desperate to offer yourself to soothe my instincts?”  
“...”  
“You don't have to, but I would prefer if you do.”  
For a long time the angel remained silent, and Takeshi just continued to preen the glossy black feathers, waiting for him to make up his mind.  
“I... I...”  
After a few false starts the young angel began telling him about his former partner, speaking of how deeply he had loved him, and how the older angel had left him in a rather bad breakup.  
“He... He demanded I forsake my oaths, demanded I abandon my duty as a Blood Guard to give all my attention to him...”  
“And you couldn't do that, could you?”  
“Never...”  
“And he couldn't accept that?”  
“....”  
“He had no right to demand such a thing from you.”  
Takeshi gently wrapped his arms around the guard and pulled him closer, offering support, a shoulder to cry on.  
  


“Would you help me forget his touch?”  
There was a slight tremble in the voice as he spoke, and a few involuntary, sad, chirps escaped which was very telling as all of the Blood Guard had extensive training to control that little Obsidian idiosyncrasy.  
“I can try.”  
Takeshi promised while holding him tightly.  
“Could you...”  
The hushed voice trailed off and the angel took a few steadying breaths.  
“Would you be willing to also help me purge the last traces of his scent and power from me? I have tried but I can't seem to get rid of it all...”  
The request made Takeshi pause for a moment, he could do it, but it would require more than just a good preening and some casual sex.  
  


“That would require me to place a mark of my own, a temporary one would be enough, but a mark, a claim, nonetheless.”  
“I know... I'm fine with that.”  
The way the guard's skin darkened made Takeshi smile, he may have gained the position of Blood Guard the normal way but he wasn't much older than Hugin and Munin.  
“You have proven yourself to be an honorable male. I trust you.”  
“Thank you.”  
Takeshi tested the guard's words by brushing his hand over the mashen and while there was a shiver in the wings there was no negative reaction to the intimate touch.  
“I'll have a word with my pack, if they agree I will try to help you with a temporary mark.”  
Takeshi didn't think there would be any objection, though, there was a risk that Hiroto wouldn't be comfortable with it so close to their mating, and if that was the case the guard would have to wait a bit.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“What's the verdict?”  
The nervous edge in the question made Takeshi snicker at him.  
“Hiro is a bit hesitant, but Roto is okay with it, and the others agree that I should help you if I can.”  
Takeshi explained softly as Hiroto approached.  
“Hiro would like to talk to you a bit before he makes up his mind.”  
“Okay...”  
“I am Yamahana Hiroto.”  
Hiroto introduced himself in a way that made it quite clear he expected to the guard to give him his name which made Takeshi perk up to hear his name.  
“♫♪♫. But you can call me Relyn.”  
“That means _Jubilant Song_ in the language of the March tribes.”  
Takeshi supplied with a smile making Relyn look a bit confused as he didn't understand the English word jubilant.  
“That's a very good name.”  
Hiroto agreed with a smile which made Relyn blush a bit.  
“Not very fitting right now though.”  
Relyn huffed, trying to downplay the emotional pain he was feeling.  
“Such is life, it sometimes shrouds us in darkness and pain.”  
The emotions playing in Relyn's aura instantly had Hiroto switching to Sage mode, offering support and guidance which told Takeshi he would no doubt agree to letting him mark the angel to eliminate all traces of the previous partner.  
  


“Thank you Hiroto, you are as kind and honorable as your simoro, your mating will no doubt be a strong one.”  
The relief in Relyn's aura was obvious when Hiroto gave his blessing to the temporary mark, and the angel leaned back against Takeshi with a soft sigh and a barely audible warble.  
When Takeshi unfurled his aura slightly and allowed his urges to bleed into it Relyn sucked in a sharp gasp, surprised by the intensity of Takeshi's instinctual desires.  
“Will you tell me what you like? What lights your fire?”  
He trailed kisses around the base of the wings as that was something he had found that all his winged lovers enjoyed, so chances were good that Relyn would as well.  
“You seem to have pretty good idea already.”  
There was a distinct unsteadiness to Relyn's breathing that was very promising.  
“It's something that most winged seem to enjoy, but I would very much like to know if there is something in particular that you enjoy.”  
“I like claws, but gently...”  
The words were somewhat hesitant, clearly unsure of how to describe what he wanted.  
“Like this?”  
He gently dragged his claws across Relyn's throat, allowing him to feel the deadly sharpness but without causing any pain or damage.  
“Yes..!”  
Relyn shivered under the touch and as Takeshi began to remove the Obsidian armor and tunic he could feel a few of the other Obsidian Guards moving closer, offering support and a sense of safety.  
  


“Ready?”  
Takeshi could feel Relyn nearing his end and gave him a gentle nudge to move so he would have easier access to mark him.  
“♪”  
Biting down over the nape of Relyn's neck where he could sense faint traces of a foreign energy Takeshi pushed them both over the edge.  
He pushed a fairly strong surge of power through Relyn, burning away every trace of power that didn't belong to either Relyn, the Obsidian Guard, or Lucifer, leaving a black band of runes around his neck.  
“Are you okay?”  
Takeshi carefully moved to the side so he wouldn't pin Relyn's wings before settling down and pulling the angel closer again.  
“Yeah. Your power feels nice.”  
Relyn traced the simple black band with his fingers for a moment before removing his hands to let Takeshi inspect the mark.  
  


“Hmm, feels like something is missing.”  
Takeshi gently traced the mark with a claw, then reached back and removed one of his scales and charged it with a flicker of his power and pressed it against the edge of the mark where it instantly attached and began to glow with a gentle, warm glow.  
“One of your scales? But that's...”  
“This way you can choose to keep the mark for as long as you want to, it won't fade unless you remove the scale. And even after removing it, you can still carry it with you to have access to the emotional support of feeling the power of another against your own. I have learned that feeling the power of another can help, even if it's just imbued into an object.”  
Dealing with Sorcha had taught Takeshi how valuable it could be to feel a supportive power when getting rid of an old, unwanted, mark.  
“You're right, feeling a supportive power really helps. And yours, it's warm and protective. It feels really good.”  
“Good. The Blood Guard is the closest thing Lucifer has to a pack, and that makes all of you important to me as well.”  
As usual the reaction to him referring to the Blood Guard as Lucifer's pack caused some pretty interesting reactions with mock denial at the forefront, but a deep sense of agreement beneath.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


There was a hint of a nervous energy sizzling through the pack as Takeshi and Hiroto moved away a bit to a pile of bedding set aside for them.  
“Hiro, are you ready to become mine?”  
“I am, and so is Roto.”  
“Then surrender yourself to me and become my mate.”  
Takeshi could feel the barriers between Hiro and Roto fading away, during the mating they would truly be one.  
He slowly removed the seals on his own power, to ensure the Elders would not be able to challenge the mating he needed to make a claim with everything he was.  
The power that unfurled caused a few somewhat alarmed reactions despite the barrier that Lucifer had created to contain it and keep it from hurting the partying demons, and it made sure they had everyone's full attention.  
  


“ _My beautiful youkai, my Tengu guardian, finally you will truly be mine.”_  
Takeshi whispered softly in Japanese.  
 _“We have been yours since the first time we felt your aura.”_  
Hiroto's words were equally soft and carried a slight duality as the two parts spoke together, promising themselves to the one they had chosen, the one they loved.  
  


When the mating bond snapped into place there was a loud cheering among the gathered demons and Takeshi was struggling not to growl when Lucifer and the Blood Guard approached with the moira.  
“Take, what is this?”  
Hiroto looked at the small, carved crow offered by the Commander of the Blood Guard with a hint of unease.  
“Don't worry, it's called a _Moira_ , which means means _The first gift_ , or _Fortuitous gift_. It's a token gift given to those newly mated for good luck. Go on, take it.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
Hiroto took the offered figurine with a slight nod.  
“Thank you...”  
Takeshi was quickly offered a similar figurine in the shape of a small dragon and after a moment's consideration he gave Hiroto the dragon and snatched the crow for himself which made the Commander laugh and nod in approval.  
  


“I heard that this might be a suitable gift for you.”  
Lucifer teased softly while offering Hiroto a quill pen made with his own feather, echoing the first gift Hiroto had given to Takeshi.  
“...”  
Hiroto instantly teared up, knowing well the true value of such a gift, and he accepted the gift with a somewhat stiff nod, trying to rein in his emotions, Lucifer just smiled at him though before turning to Takeshi.  
“And for you my precious flower.”  
Takeshi just flashed him his fangs in mock annoyance while accepting the crystal bottle with glowing, purple ink, then with a soft smile he allowed the bottle to vanish into his soul.  
  


Hiroto's confusion at the wide range of gifts they were offered made Takeshi smile, it wasn't his first time suffering the hassle of the moira.  
Though, he much preferred the style of gifts they were offered now, apart from the quill and ink Lucifer had given them there hadn't been any particularly valuable items instead there had been plenty of simple items, like plates with favored treats.  
Many of the hunters had offered various weapons or weapon parts, many of them crafted from obsidian or gong claws and teeth, mostly, small blades, arrowheads and bone shafts fletched in various ways, most of them with feathers from the Obsidian version of a pheasant, but there were also short range arrows fletched with gong fur.  
The fur fletched arrows were used the same way as Flu-flu arrows were in the Human Realm, meaning mostly for short range targets at practice, or when hunting small prey like squirrels or birds in areas where a regular arrow was easily lost.  
  


Brenna and Cormo offered them a plate of food and a small feather charm with feathers from all of them, and the older daughters had scavenged around the bonfires and garden around them for their gifts, Looni giving them a pile of _Pretty Rocks_ , and Ani had given Hiroto a baby duzz that she had caught, the bundle of pure black fur appeared barely weaned and a bit young for bonding with a caretaker, but hopefully it would be okay.  
“Go on, feed it something, that will encourage it to begin the bonding process.”  
Takeshi handed Hiroto a small piece of fruit to give to the tiny bundle of fur.  
“Keep in mind though, duzz can be picky and it might not want to bond with you. And it may be a bit too young.”  
“Okay...”  
“But if it does, it will be loyal for life.”  
Takeshi watched as his mate tried to feed the duzz, and he could feel his aura turn morose as it refused the treat.  
“Hiro, let Roto rise a bit, share and try.”  
“I'll try...”  
At first Roto gained almost full control, and the duzz refused again, but when Roto pulled back and they sought to share control the tiny creature showed more interest, and the moment the two were in balance a bond snapped into place, te duzz however didn't touch the offered food.  
“You are ours now _Momo_.”  
Hiroto spoke softly while brushing a clawed finger over the soft fur and as he did Hiro retreated slightly to see how the duzz now named Momo after the Japanese flying squirrel, _Pteromys Momonga,_ would react to the change in balance, but Momo didn't seem to care which one of them was dominant any more.  
  


“Sora is in trouble now, Momo will drive Sora crazy.”  
Kara stated matter-of-factly which had Sora flying over to her and start asking her all sorts of questions about sharing a companion with a duzz.  
The conversation that followed between Kara and Sora had everyone laughing as Kara complained about how annoying duzz were, making it sound like Honey was the most horrible creature in the world, but everyone could feel the deep care and love she was radiating while speaking of the little demon.  
“Don't worry Sora, duzz are actually really nice creatures. They do like teasing though and they are more animal than you and Kara are so you will have to be the big sister.”  
Nelly stepped in and explained a bit to Sora, and Hiroto, about living with a duzz, and Honey was eagerly chattering at Momo before taking the tiny creature and stuffing it in her pouch and perching on Hiroto's shoulder.  
  


While they spoke a steady stream of gifts kept coming and by the time the large pieces of gong that were roasting were done Takeshi and Hiroto had quite a pile of items next to them, and a table piled high with food and treats.  
“You could have warned me about this...”  
Hiroto grumbled softly as he accepted a simple, but well made, crystal lighter from a feline demoness.  
“And miss you being all flustered?”  
Takeshi's teasing made Hiroto grumble and complain about having an evil mate, which his co-mates instantly agreed with, making Takeshi grumble and object that **he** was the one with evil mates.  
“Ieri, come, the food is ready.”  
A pair of angels came and began dragging Takeshi and Hiroto to the table where all the meat had been piled up.  
  


“They expect us to pick out the best pieces to celebrate our mating.”  
“Yeah, I figured as much.”  
Hiroto nodded as he accepted a large plate with fairly high edges to keep things from falling off.  
“I have no idea what pieces are considered the best on this beast though. And I don't want to insult the hunters...”  
“The things like heart and liver are considered to be treats, as is the tail and the marrow.”  
Takeshi spoke softly while cutting a few slices from the raw heart and liver and putting them one one of the plates before grabbing one of the sections of tail and placing it on the other plate and adding a few scoops of fat dripping marrow next to it.  
Slices cut from various grilled bits were quickly added next to the heart and liver along with some of the vegetable and fruit treats before they returned to the piled up furs to eat, signaling the others to dig in.  
They would return for more several times during the night though.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Dan, could I have a word with you?”  
Takeshi gave Dan a gentle nudge when he walked by.  
“Sure.”  
Dan dropped down into Takeshi's lap and made himself comfortable.  
 _“Tell me, have you noticed anything odd about Bran's behavior?”_  
Takeshi kept the conversation silent.  
 _“Yeah, as a matter of fact I have.”_  
There was a slightly amused edge to Dan's mental voice.  
 _“I haven't seen him flirt even once since we got here. He even brushed Lucy off when he tried his usual antics.”  
_ Dan quickly confirmed what Takeshi had been noticing.  
 _“Anything else?”_  
Takeshi nudged, trying to see if Dan agreed with his suspicions.  
 _“You mean the way he keeps looking at Angel?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Take, are you thinking Bran is falling in love with Angel?”_  
Dan sounded somewhat surprised.  
 _“I think so. You know him better than I do, especially on an emotional level. Do you think my suspicion is reasonable?”  
“Now that you mention it...”_  
Dan turned slightly in Takeshi's lap and looked toward where Angel was helping one of the musicians tune a huge harp and slightly off to the side was Bran watching intently.  
 _“Guess we will have something pretty interesting to study.”_  
Dan huffed in amusement, but there was a hint of concern underneath.  
 _“Yeah, I'm a bit worried too.”_  
Takeshi wrapped his arms around Dan and hugged him tightly, he knew Angel was perfectly capable of caring, but he didn't know if she would be able to love.  
His aura quickly turned contemplative as he began thinking about what love actually was, how to define it from a computer's point of view, if that was even possible...  
  


“Take, how about you let me go if you're going to be all quiet and broody?”  
Dan squirmed slightly.  
“I don't want to... I want to hold someone...”  
“Fine...”  
Dan sighed and tried to make himself comfortable, but before he could settle down Linnéa came over and poked them both.  
“I need to rest for a while, so if it's okay with you guys I volunteer to be the one stuck in Take's arms.”  
“Works for me, I was hoping to grab Eric and take Rai and Leiia for a nice, long, walk. And don't worry, I already spoke to Lucifer and he will lend us a guard to make sure we're safe.”  
Dan was more than happy to trade with her, so Takeshi opened his arms to let him get up.  
“I just want someone to hold.”  
He mumbled softly while holding his arms open for Linnéa.  
“And I just wanna nap, or at least rest, for a while.”  
She quickly made herself comfortable in Takeshi lap and the soft half moan, half sigh when he wrapped his arms around her made him smile and nuzzle the top of her head before moving around slightly so that they were both comfortable.  
Moments later Linnéa was sleeping calmly despite the bustling activity around the party area as all kinds of games were being played around the banked fires.  
  


With a quick glance Takeshi confirmed that Amanda was resting next to Miri in the pool with Marakell and the dryad sisters watching over them.  
Sol was off in one of the small tents that had been raised for privacy, having a very good time with two of the Blood Guards who didn't mind sharing some good fun in bed.  
Iðunn and Eir were helping Brenna and Cormo get some rest by helping keep an eye on the kids.  
Most of the others had gone with Emelie and Ylian when they took Hiroto to the market to find something to carry Momo in as the duzz clearly was a bit too young to be out of the pouch full time.  
  


As he settled back down and allowed his mind to drift back to the topic of Angel's ability to love he could feel Daniels rise and he welcomed her presence.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Nel, could you see if Honey can give you an idea for what would be suitable for carrying Momo so they are comfortable and safe?”  
Emelie walked up to Nelly and held her hand, and a slice of dried fruit, out for Honey who jumped to her hand with a happy chirrup, grabbed the fruit, and jumped back to Nelly's shoulder to eat her treat.  
“Sure, give me a moment.”  
They all stopped and Nelly gently brushed her mind against Honey's enhanced awareness.  
“Honey, can you show me how Hiro should carry Momo?”  
Honey stopped eating and looked up at Nelly, tilting her head slightly.  
“Slow down, one image at a time.”  
Nelly gently cautioned her familiar as a rapid stream of images crossed her mind.  
“That's it, thanks Honey.”  
She turned to Emelie with a slightly confused look.  
  


“She showed me a lot of images, but essentially two things, nest boxes for birds, and leather drawstring pouches...”  
Nelly shook her head to clear the images.  
“I'm not entirely sure what it means though.”  
“Can you recall any details? Anything the images had in common other than the obvious?”  
Emelie gently coaxed, trying to help Nelly interpret what Honey had shown her.  
“The boxes were all very tight, the birds barely fitting inside.”  
“That makes sense as the pouch of a duzz is a very tight fit for a joey of Momo's size.”  
“Yeah, so I guess those images means we need something that's a tight fit, soft and warm, but a protective shell.”  
Nelly hummed and moved on to trying to figure out what the images of the pouches had in common.  
  


“Oh, I think I got it!”  
The sudden way Nelly called out had Relyn grabbing for his blade, which made Lucifer laugh and tease him before turning to Nelly to see what it was she had figured out.  
“All the pouches in the images were worn around the neck, under the clothing. Close to the skin where it's warm. Where it can hear Hiro's heartbeat and be infused with his scent.”  
“Makes sense, Momo is essentially still a baby, really a bit too young to be bonded to anyone but the parents, but Ani didn't know that. I suspect Momo was the only duzz she was able to catch, probably an orphan, weakened.”  
Lucifer glanced at the tiny puff of fur that Hiroto was gently cradling against his heart, hidden by cupped hands.  
“I think that out of all the moira that one will be by far the most treasured gift.”  
“No kidding.”  
Emelie agreed with a soft smile as Hiroto cooed, tutted and hushed softly at Momo who was making a tiny, almost crying sound and soon the crying sound was replaced with a bubbly chirping that sounded decidedly happy and content.  
  


Emelie looked away from Hiroto and Momo when Relyn moved closer.  
“He has strong parenting instincts. I hope that won't cause too much heartache for them.”  
Relyn knew how troublesome such things could be for monogamous species in a same sex mating.  
“I think it will be okay, Tengu aren't as strictly monogamous as believed, it's not about being unable to be with someone else, it's the youma refusing to betray the partner.”  
Emelie started explaining in a hushed tone.  
“So as long as Takeshi is okay with it the youma will be as well, allowing for the possibility to breed with a receptive female of the pack?”  
“Mhm, at least if they are in heat. And heat is triggered in mated males by the presence of a receptive female in heat. And please, I know Take has asked you to call him just that, Take.”  
“I will try to remember that.”  
Relyn continued to carefully ask questions about how life was in a pack as diverse as Pack Kiryu and Emelie answered him with varying levels of teasing humor.  
  


“Come on, this way. The creature peddlers are set up next to the stables.”  
Lucifer guided the group toward the far end of the market area where there was a stable that sold livestock and offered transport services for larger goods.  
The creature peddlers had their shops along the wall of the stable so the smells and sounds wouldn't bother the rest of the market, and the presence of the domesticated beasts helped keep the captured creatures calm.  
“Let's see if any of them offer items for caring for duzz. They are popular pets, so they should have some items at least. And they might be able to offer some tips on how to properly care for a pouchling”  
“This shop looks promising, these tiny brushes, collars and leads look like they are made for something duzz sized.”  
Amy pointed toward a display filled with tiny accessories and grooming tools.  
“Okay, let's have a look.”  
Emelie, Nelly and Lucifer quickly dragged Hiroto into the store where they were eagerly greeted by the owner.  
  


“We are looking for items to properly care for a very young duzz, still a pouchling. And hopefully some guidance for how to care for it.”  
“Well, let's see it!”  
The female in the store didn't bother with polite chitchat as she demanded to see the creature they intended to shop for.  
“I will not give advice for caring for a pouchling without seeing it first!”  
The vehement insistence on seeing Momo, even in the face of the Lord of the Obsidian Halls was promising as it told them the demoness really cared for the creatures.  
“Hiro, show her Momo please.”  
The request proved to be somewhat troublesome though as Momo was scared, and that was triggering Hiroto's instincts, making him want to protect the tiny creature and when the storekeeper tried to have a closer look Roto forced himself into control.  
“Roto! Don't be like that. Let Hiro have control. We need a calm mind for this, not power and instinct.”  
Emelie scolded Roto while pushing against his aura with her own, demanding he submit to her authority as Alpha.  
“Sorry Alpha...”  
“I know you want to protect Momo, but we need to let her have a look.”  
“I don't want to...”  
“I know Roto, I know. But you need to do it anyway. To make sure Momo is healthy and that we can take care of them properly.”  
“Nel, can Honey help protect Momo?”  
Roto turned to Nelly with a pleading look.  
“Of course Roto. Honey, would you pick up Momo please.”  
Honey instantly jumped over to Hiroto and when the protective hand moved she nudged Momo into her pouch and jumped down to the table in front of the storekeeper.  
She was quickly joined by Kara and Sora who flashed their beaks, making it perfectly clear they would protect their furry companions.  
  


“The little one seems to be in good health, but much too young to be away from his mother!”  
She glared at Hiroto and the others clearly upset that they had Momo.  
“Momo was caught by a child, so he is probably an orphan.”  
Lucifer calmly explain how Momo had come to be Hiroto's.  
“He is very small for being so well developed, he may have been thrown from the pouch by a stronger sibling.”  
“Is it common for duzz to have more than one joey?”  
Nelly instantly began asking questions.  
“Joey?”  
“Oh, it's what we call the babies of a marsupial like the duzz in my native language.”  
“Marsupial?”  
Nelly was ready for the followup question and quickly explained.  
“Marsupial are animals that give birth to very undeveloped babies then carry them in a pouch while they mature.”  
“Ah, I see.”  
The demoness nodded in understanding before answering what Nelly had asked about.  
  


“Duzz usually birth two and they normally have no problem raising both, but sometimes if food is scarce the parent will throw one, or both, in order to survive themselves. In some cases if the difference in size and strength is significant one may be kicked out of the pouch by the other and be lost.”  
“Makes sense, survival of the fittest.”  
“A sad truth for many species.”  
“Indeed.”  
Nelly nodded with a sad tone.  
“So, Momo is a male?”  
She quickly tried to move to less depressing topics.  
“Yes.”  
“How can you tell? Momo is way too young to determine if a pouch is developing.”  
“Here, look here at the tip of the tail.”  
Nelly looked closely as the demoness carefully used a sharp claw to move the fur at the tip of Momo's tail, revealing the venom stinger.  
“Males have a single stinger on the tip of the tail while females have two side by side.”  
“Oh, okay. I didn't know that.”  
The way Honey hissed in objection to Momo, and herself, being examined made the demoness smile a very pleased smile.  
  


“Your own duzz, she is very healthy, and has good mothering instincts, rare in a bonded duzz. But she feels different...”  
“Honey isn't a regular duzz, the Avatar of Life created her from my blood to be my familiar. It makes her different, more like a greater demon. Capable of language, logic and a higher thought process. But she is still a duzz, most of her reactions will be duzz and she understands the world from the perspective of a duzz.”  
“I see, I don't really understand though, But the Prime Avatars usually know what they are doing, and the Mother values life, loves her children, she would not create something that would harm them.”  
The demoness nodded in acceptance and her tone carried trust and reverence for the Avatar of Life.  
“Indeed she wouldn't.”  
Nelly agreed.  
  


“I have finished the examination, you can take him now.”  
The moment the demoness gave her okay Hiroto reached out for Honey and made a begging motion as she was being very protective of Momo.  
“Honey, bring Momo to me please.”  
There was a moment of hesitation, then the familiar aspect kicked in, overriding the duzz instincts and she quickly leaped into the offered hand and nudged Momo to climb out of her pouch.  
Once Momo was clinging safely to Hiroto's hand Honey threw herself into the air and glided back to Nelly, and Hiroto brought his hand up against his chest again, cupping the tiny creature against his heart.  
“That is very good, you will need to carry him very close, where he can hear your heartbeat and can easily feed from you excess prana.”  
Hiroto instantly turned distressed.  
“But I'm youkai, I don't have prana, only youki...”  
“No prana? Youki? I don't understand...”  
The demoness was once again confused and Emelie quickly stepped up and began to explain.  
  


“Hiroto is from the Human Realm, there is no prana there. But creatures like him, youkai, possess power, but it's only half of prana.”  
Carefully she reached within, reached for the tiny flickers of power she carried within from her mating with Takeshi, and she brought out a small spark of youki.  
“This is their power, Youki.”  
She focused on keeping the spark stable as she continued.  
“There are humans with power who carry the other half, Reiki.”  
With her other hand she brought up a tiny spark of reiki.  
“But very few possess both, and even fewer are able to combine the two into prana.”  
There was a slight flash of energy as she brought the two powers together and allowed them to unite.  
“They are equal but opposite, and their wielders have a long history of hostility, so most of the time they will cancel each other out. It takes intent and awareness to make them combine instead.”  
“So prana is not gone from the Human Realm, only fractured?”  
The state of the Human Realm was a hot topic among many demons, especially in areas that had been in contact with Takeshi and the others.  
“As far as we can tell. But there is precious little remaining of the fragmented power as well, it seems it can't replenish properly as long as it remains fractured.”  
“It's a shame. The Human Realm and its inhabitants seem interesting.”  
While she spoke the demoness had been picking through various crates and boxes and picked out a number of items.  
  


“Hiro-iero, from the feel of this youki you have I believe it will be sufficient to allow your duzz to mature, it will just take more power. At least as long as you remain within the demon realm where there is prana in nature.”  
Hiroto instantly relaxed and released a soft sigh of relief.  
“Don't worry Hiro, if it looks like Momo needs more I can make Sanctuary crystals charged with prana, he should be able to feed from that.”  
“Yema..? You can make prana crystals?”  
The storekeeper sounded somewhat awed.  
“I can, the Mother taught me.”  
For a moment it seemed like the storekeeper would ask more questions, but her desire to see to that Momo was cared for won out.  
“To carry Momo safely he should be carried in something fairly small around the neck, something with a hard shell.”  
“Yeah, Honey has been able to explain as much. We were hoping you would have something suitable or be able to help us create it.”  
“Can you control the shape the prana crystal?”  
“I can, I just shape the crystal, then charge it.”  
“Would you be willing to use that ability to create a suitable carrier for Momo?”  
“Of course, just tell me what shape it needs to be.”  
“I have found that the shape on amphora is perfect to make the young feel safe.”  
“Like this?”  
Emelie created a small amphora, small enough to fit the palm of her hand.  
  


“Yes, that's perfect, but make the opening here, on the front instead of through the neck. And can you make it so that it can be split into two halves for easy cleaning?”  
“Okay.”  
She quickly made the suggested adjustments.  
“Good good, now can you alter the color so the light can't get in?”  
“Mhm.”  
She made the crystal opaque, then after a moment of consideration altered it back to transparent, then altered it so that it was opaque in one direction and transparent in the other.  
“Like this you can see the duzz inside, even if not very well, while it has to look out through the hole so see anything.”  
“Oh, I like it. You have done things like this before?”  
“Mhm, I make quite a few items from these crystals. Both decorations and useful ones.”  
“This is definitely both...”  
The way the demoness stared at the crystal amphora made Emelie smile a somewhat sly smile.  
  


“Maybe you would be willing to accept a suitable number of them as payment for your services and goods?”  
“I would.”  
She quickly agreed.  
“Would you be willing to show how you infuse them with prana?”  
“Of course, it's easy once the crystal has been formed properly.”  
Emelie called on her aura and moments later the crystal began glowing, absorbing her power and she quickly made another and handed it to the storekeeper.  
“Go on, try it. It works the same way as the crystal fire starters.”  
“Really? That simple?”  
“Mhm, it's all in the structure of the crystal.”  
Emelie watched as the demoness called on her aura and quickly charged the crystal.  
“See, it's easy.”  
“This is too much, an item like this is too valuable...”  
“Nah, not really. Consider them specialty items, rent them out for as long as they are needed. Then, once you have made a reasonable profit of them you will start setting aside a quarter for me, a quarter for yourself, and the rest to be used to aid those in need, regardless of species.”  
The storekeeper hummed softly, considering the offer.  
“Agreed.”  
“Good.”  
Emelie offered her hand which had the demoness look very confused again.  
  


“It is human tradition to shake hands to seal a deal.”  
Lucifer spoke up with a smile, earning him a soft yelp and a deep bow as the demoness seemed to finally realize she had the lord of the land as a customer.  
Moments later she was shaking Emelie's hand, then turning back to the pile of items on the table in front of them and going back to work, her flustered energy told them she was trying to keep herself busy simply so she didn't have to think about who was in her store.  
  


“Hiro, do you have anything with your scent and energy that can be used as bedding in the amphora?”  
The demoness quickly pushed on with the details of Momo's care.  
“Would a few of my down feathers work?”  
“That should be perfect.”  
“Em, would you?”  
Hiroto's voice was slightly hesitant.  
“Of course.”  
Emelie walked over and brushed her hands over his wings, smiling softly, happy that he had stopped hiding his true wings.  
“Roto, do you want to rise a bit, share the pain?”  
For a moment nothing happened, then Hiroto's aura changed as Roto rose and they shared control while Emelie carefully sifted through his wings to try to find down fathers that wouldn't hurt too badly when pulled.  
Fortunately, the nest was small so they would only need a few of the soft feathers, and joeys had a strong instinct not to soil the pouch or nest, so barring accidents they shouldn't need to replace it before Momo was old enough not to need it anymore.  
  


“Ready?”  
“Go on...”  
Emelie quickly pulled two down feathers from each wing.  
“Feeling okay?”  
“Yeah, it wasn't too bad.”  
He watched as she used a razor sharp claw to cut away the shaft, leaving just the soft, black, down and together they stuffed it into the crystal amphora before nudging Momo to explore it and moments later all the could see was the tip of his tail, then it vanished too.  
“Guess it has the Momo seal of approval.”  
Emelie cooed softly as Hiroto secured the crystal nest under his shirt, right over his heart where Momo would be able to hear his steady pulse.  
Hiroto didn't answer her though, too focused on trying to make sure Momo was comfortable.  
  


“Momo is fortunately old enough to eat solid food, but he might find it calming to suckle.”  
The store keeper made a final observation as she helped them pack the huge pile of items Hiroto had bought into a crate so it could be easily teleported to their warehouse for temporary storage.  
“Soaking some fibers or thin cloth in manaroka sap or something similar to let him suckle on should work.”  
“Oh, we can just make a feeding bottle of a suitable size with a soft nipple he can suckle on.”  
Emelie smiled as the demoness went all wide eyed again.  
“I'm afraid I can't show you though since I don't have the materials needed with me. But if you come to the Hunters' fires tonight I can show you.”  
“I would be honored to.”  
With the items needed and an agreement to see the storekeeper later the group made a quick pass around the market and headed back to Takeshi and the others.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Brand New Year_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When Takeshi didn't greet them when they returned Emelie walked over and took a seat behind him and began rubbing his shoulders.  
“What has you so deep in though love?”  
“Love, I guess...”  
He hummed slightly, still distracted by his own mind.  
“Care to share?”  
For a long while there was no reaction so she just kept kneading the tension out of his shoulders, allowing him time to collect his mind and decide what he wanted to do.  
  


“ _Have you noticed that Bran is acting a bit out of character?”_  
The fact that he didn't speak out loud told her the topic was somewhat sensitive.  
 _“You mean the fact that the only guy who's possibly a bigger flirt than you isn't flirting?”  
“Mhm...”  
“And you think it has to do with love?”  
“Yeah, Dan and I have talked about it and we came to the conclusion that it seems Bran has fallen in love with Angel.”  
“That could get interesting.”_  
Emelie's amusement was bubbling through the bonds.  
 _“Indeed. But it has me a bit worried.”  
“Worried that Angel is unable to love?”  
“Yeah. I know she cares, but I don't know if she is, or will ever be, capable of more, of actual love.”_  
The feeling of somewhat sad worry began to bleed through the bonds which instantly had the pack gathering around, smothering him in their support.  
 _“You know the pack will do the same for Bran, smother him in all the love he could ever handle. And I don't doubt Angel will be capable of love, even if she might not be now.”  
“Thank you, my beloved soulmate.”_  
Takeshi allowed his feelings of gratitude and love flood the bonds, calming the pack down before gently moving Linnéa so he could get up and go greet them properly, especially Hiroto.  
  


“Hiro my dear mate, how did your shopping trip go?”  
It took quite a while before Takeshi got his answer as Hiro and Roto both wanted a bit of snuggle time separately, but once they were both satisfied Roto pulled back to let Hiro do the talking as he tended to be more on task and not jump between topics.  
“It went well. Momo is young and apparently small for his age, but overall healthy and I got a few tips for caring for him to make sure he'll grow properly and stay healthy.”  
“So Momo is male?”  
Takeshi had tried to determine the sex of the little furball gift, but he didn't know enough about duzz to tell on such a young specimen, the energies were too similar.  
“Mhm, the storekeeper showed us how to tell on a baby like Momo. Males only have one stinger at the tip of their tails.”  
“Ah, that might become useful to know some day.”  
“Planning on breeding them?”  
“If it can be done without risking local wildlife I would like to introduce them as pets. They are intelligent, loyal, easy to train and easy to care for.”  
“And ridiculously cute.”  
Hiroto added with a smile.  
“And ridiculously cute.”  
Takeshi agreed with a nod before holding his hand out for Momo to see if the duzz would come to him and after a gentle nudge from Hiro the tiny furball gathered his courage and threw himself into the air and landed in Takeshi's hand.  
  


“Hello Momo.”  
Takeshi brushed his aura against Momo, letting his alpha nature rise and saturate his aura with energies that echoed protection, care, security and soon Momo wrapped himself around Takeshi's thumb and began chittering softly.  
“Guess he finds you acceptable as well.”  
Hiro teased softly, aura shimmering with content happiness.  
“Well, he feels safe at least. But he will always be yours more than anything. These little critters are loyal to a fault.”  
“My little baby...”  
Hiroto cooed, and Takeshi could feel Roto was the dominant influence to the words.  
“You will spoil him rotten, won't you Roto?”  
“Mhm, but I will teach him to be strong too!”  
“Of course you will, you will no doubt make sure he becomes every bit as fierce as his wild kin.”  
Takeshi carefully handed Momo back to Hiroto and he quickly scampered to his new nest and disappeared for a few seconds before a tiny black head popped back out and looked around with avid attention, even chittering and cooing at the other pack members.  
  


“I guess you have accepted us as your colony.”  
Nelly offered Momo one of the treats she always carried for Honey and it was accepted with a happy trill.  
“Looks like it. Does Honey have anything to say about it?”  
Takeshi wanted to make sure Momo would fit in.  
“Not really. She just gives me a sense of protectiveness, and family.”  
“Family... That sounds good.”  
He hummed softly and reached out for his chosen family drawing them closer through the bonds.  
  



	4. The Feast of Fire

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Miri-Yema?”  
An angel wearing the plain gray armor of a regular city guard gave Emelie a deep bow.  
“Yes?”  
“I have a Tamalu-Iera seeking you.”  
“Who?  
For a moment Emelie was totally confused, then she realized it had to be the storekeeper she had invited.  
“Oh, that must be the storekeeper. Please, bring her here.”  
“Right away Yema.”  
A few minutes later the guard returned with the storekeeper.  
  


"Miri-Yema, Tamalu-Iera as requested.”  
“Thank you.”  
She gave the guard a slight nod before turning to the demoness.  
“Tamalu-yan, I'm glad you could make it.”  
Due to the way the guard had introduced Tamalu it was obvious she had no House and thus was considered a commoner, and as much as Emelie disliked the practice she had uphold a certain degree of formality as they were in a very public setting.  
“Thank you Miri-Yema, It would hardly have been proper to not heed an invitation from House Miri.”  
The slight tremble in Tamalu's aura spoke of her discomfort at the exchange.  
“Please Tamalu-yan, no need for such formality, you may address me more casually if you prefer.”  
“As you wish Iera.”  
“Please, just Em is enough. This is the hunters' feast, not the fancy ball in the palace and we came here to get away from all that stifling formality.”  
Her grumbled complaint made Tamalu break into a wide smile.  
“I think I will enjoy getting to know you better, Em.”  
“I hope so Tamalu, you seem like a nice person.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Come, sit.”  
Emelie patted the pillow next to where she was curled up together with Dan and Tamalu quickly sat down.  
  


“Dan would you go get Take please? I need a few of the things he's carrying around.”  
“Sure thing love.”  
Dan quickly got up and headed out among the dancing bodies to locate Takeshi.  
“Quite the Beta you have there.”  
“We are fortunate to have some amazing ones indeed.”  
“He felt very sharp, almost like an Alpha.”  
“Mhm, Amanda and Ylian are the same way.”  
“Oh, three betas?”  
Tamalu was instantly very curious.  
“Indeed, we found that it works well for our pack.”  
“That is all that matters, is it not?”  
“It is.”  
Emelie hummed in agreement and offered Tamalu a plate with pieces of Swedish Cheesecake that she had spent several hours on making, she didn't have any cloudberries though, instead it was topped with a compote with a mix of sweet and tart Demon realm berries that she found acceptable.  
  


“This is quite good. Odd consistency but a very interesting flavor.”  
“It's based on a traditional dessert from my native lands, it's not exactly the same though as I didn't have the Human realm ingredients. But it's close enough.”  
“I would very much like to have a chance to taste the real thing some day.”  
“I'll try to remember to bring some next time I have an opportunity.”  
She paused for a moment, then turned to the dragonfly drone perched on a large flower nearby.  
“Angel, could you make a note to remind me to bring real Hälsinge Ostkaka for Tamalu when we have an opportunity?”  
“Of course Em.”  
“Thanks.”  
Tamalu looked a bit surprised for a moment before she could pinpoint where the voice came from.  
“What an odd construct.”  
“Mhm, but that is a very long explanation, and I can feel Take getting close, so that will have to wait.”  
  


“Sweetie, you needed something?”  
Takeshi gave Tamalu a slight nod in greeting while he spoke to Emelie.  
“Mhm, could you show her one of the syringes you used to feed Yami?”  
“Of course.”  
He quickly brought the small nursing kit out of his shift and showed the syringes, bottles and silicone nipples.  
“Oh, those are very well made.”  
Tamalu was instantly interested in the smaller sizes.  
“We will of course have to make them even smaller for Momo to be able to suckle on them, but this should be good enough, right?”  
“If you can make them small enough they would be perfect.”  
“What do you think Take?”  
“Should be doable. We have plenty of liquid cyberskin in Angel's repair kit, we can make crystal injection molds for the nipples. It's non-toxic and should stand up to sharp teeth and claws a bit better than regular silicone.”  
Tamalu looked like a living question mark as she didn't understand what was being said.  
“Don't worry Tamalu, we are discussing what would be the best way to make even smaller ones, ones that would be suitable for Momo.”  
“You can make them that small?”  
“Yeah, it might take a few tries to get a shape and size he likes, but it's doable.”  
It didn't take long before half the pack had been dragged into the project of creating something that would let Momo suckle.  
  


“Take, can't we try to make a smaller version of this?”  
Jenna waved one of Isabelle's pacifiers in the air.  
“Doh..”  
Takeshi did a rather exaggerated facepalm.  
“Of course!”  
Emelie instantly agreed.  
“What is that?”  
Tamalu was instantly curious.  
“It's a pacifier we made for Belle when she was teething. It was durable enough to withstand pretty extensive gnawing but it also allowed her to suckle.”  
Jenna showed the fairly large silicone covered crystal pacifier.  
“When suckling the crystal generates a small amount of a nutrient solution that also contains small amounts of hormones that are calming.”  
“So it will nourish them as well as calm them down?”  
“Mhm.”  
“How do you make sure they get what they need, that the formula is well balanced?”  
“In this case, all I can say is _The Mother Provides_. I have no clue how it works, but thanks to the Mother the liquid always contained exactly what Belle needed.”  
“Oh, that sounds very useful.”  
Tamalu nodded and hummed.  
  


“No kidding, why didn't you make one of those for me when Leiia was teething?”  
Eric sounded decidedly miffed as he realized just how much trouble having that pacifier could have saved him.  
“Sorry, it totally slipped my mind that I had it...”  
Jenna gave him a rather sheepish smile and looking around he found similar expressions on the others as well.  
“What about you Angel? You don't forget things.”  
“I'm sorry, I'm still not very good at making suggestions...”  
Angel ducked her head slightly and sounded ashamed and sad which made Eric apologize.  
“I'm sorry Angel. I didn't mean to imply you did something wrong...”  
“But it would really have helped you and Leiia if I had said something...”  
“Yeah, it would have made things easier. But don't beat yourself up over it. No one else remembered it or thought to say anything either...”  
Eric leveled the rest of the pack with a wilting glare while promising Angel he wasn't mad at her.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


After some 20 failed attempts at making a pacifier small enough for Momo they finally managed to create a working version, instead of trying to make the entire thing small enough they had given it a shape that Momo could hold on to and then added a small nipple for him to suckle on.  
“Aw, that is adorable...”  
Everyone were in absolute agreement that the way Momo wrapped himself around the modified pacifier and happily suckled at the small nipple was about as cute as cute got.  
“All of you really do care deeply for the lesser creatures you care for.”  
Tamalu looked around the pack, focusing on the various familiars and other creatures they had with them.  
“Bran-yon, you do not have a familiar like the others?”  
She looked at Bran in surprise and something akin to concern.  
“Oh, I do. But mine is just a simple construct, not a living being.”  
Bran pushed up the left sleeve of his shirt and showed her the Celtic dragon tattoo that was wrapped around his bicep then brushed his fingers over it, making the dragon come to life with a yawn.  
It stretched its wings and huffed out a small puff of smoke, then did a full lap around his arm and settled down into its previous position.  
  


“I did offer him to add my blood to make it a true lifeform, but he was terrified of the idea of caring for a living creature.”  
Takeshi smiled as he recalled how Bran had reacted when he offered him a familiar.  
“I barely remember to feed myself when I get my teeth into a nice project, or something decides to not work as it should. Besides, I'd say I have plenty of pets with all the Mandrake coders...”  
The quip about the coders being his pets made everyone laugh, and had Tamalu looking very confused again.  
“A coder is like a specialized scholar or scribe of sorts, but they can be quite the eccentric bunch and tricky to manage to keep them productive.”  
“The brightest minds do tend to be quite insane as well.”  
“Indeed.”  
“Yeah, just look at Take.”  
“Smart as hell and totally nutters.”  
“Oi!”  
The way the pack teased their alpha made Tamalu laugh.  
“You have a good pack.”  
“They are pure evil meanies, but yeah, I'm blessed with an amazing pack.”  
Takeshi's smiled turned somewhat wicked before he pounced on his pack and began tickling them all in retaliation for their teasing.  
  


“Uhm, Tamalu?”  
While Takeshi punished the pack Takara turned to their guest with innocent curiosity.  
“Yes, Takara was it?”  
“Just Taka.”  
“Okay Taka.”  
“Is your name based on the Tama metal?”  
“No, I'm afraid not. Tamalu is what we call those tiny fish we use for bait.”  
Takara's expression turned into a somewhat grumpy frown.  
“Why would they name you after something like that?”  
“I was orphaned before reaching my naming age and when it was time for me to be named there was no one who cared enough to give me a proper name, so they named me Tamalu because I survived by catching Tamalu and selling them to the fishermen. And if I couldn't sell them I would eat them.”  
“How mean!”  
Takara's temper made her foxfire spark to life and crackle around her.  
“It's okay. Tamalu is how I survived so I don't mind.”  
“I'm gonna use the word Tama from Japanese instead!”  
Takara's sudden exclamation made the pack snicker at her.  
  


“Japanese?”  
“Mhm, that's mine and mommy's language. And Take's and Hiro's.”  
“Oh, and what does Tama mean in your language?”  
“It can mean many things depending on how you write it.”  
Takara drew a few kanji in the sand.  
“This way it means a small ball shaped gem or pearl, or jewel.”  
“Aw, thank you.”  
Tamalu's aura was shimmering with emotion as Takara and the pack all agreed that the Japanese meaning of Tama was better suited for her.  
“And Lu can mean musical note in Chinese.”  
Hiroto's addition made everyone smile and nod.  
  


“I...”  
Before Tamalu could finish what she was planning to say she was interrupted by a powerful pulse of energy from the edge of the fires, and an answering pulse from Lucifer.  
“It's Roghan!”  
The girls called out with obvious joy and moments later most of them were running toward where the power had come from.  
“I'm sorry Tamalu, you were trying to say something?”  
Takeshi apologized for the way his pack ran out on them.  
“I was going to ask if you and you pack might be interested in seeing the sea cliffs where I lived as a child. The cliffs and floating islands are quite impressive.”  
“That does sound very interesting, I love exploring new regions, and so do the girls. That's one of the reasons why we decided to stay a lot longer this time.”  
Tamalu's eyes gained a somewhat conspiratory glint as she leaned in, and Takeshi followed suite, leaning in closely as she clearly intended to say something for his ears only.  
“The floating islands are home to several colonies of lesser dragons. And I know a hidden location where several crystal varieties live.”  
“They would definitely love to see those.”  
“Make it a surprise?”  
She suggested with a teasing smile.  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi agreed with an equally conspiratory smile before getting up to greet Roghan properly.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Hello old friend. It's good to see you again.”  
Takeshi gave Roghan a tight hug before acknowledging his young female companion with a nod.  
“I couldn't very well miss giving you and your new mate an appropriate moira, now could I?”  
Roghan held out a scroll case for him, of course the Seer would know about the mating, opening the case revealed a scroll with a map, and the Shamarai seal.  
“Rog!”  
Takeshi half hissed, half growled when he opened the scroll and realized the rather absurd value of the gift.  
“You're insane...”  
“Okay, now we are curious.”  
Everyone instantly wanted to see what kind of gift would get such a reaction from Takeshi.  
“I believe your new mate will feel at home there, Mika tells me it looks very much like Mount Fuji of the Human realm.”  
The scroll was essentially a land deed, giving Takeshi ownership of a large plot of land complete with a volcano and several lakes.  
  


“It's not just from me though, it's from Mother as well.”  
He quickly handed over two similar scroll cases, one with his own seal and one with Lilith's seal, the proper documents that formally transferred ownership of the land indicated on the map to Takeshi.  
“It's still completely bonkers... This area looks to be almost as large as the Obsidian Halls...”  
“Actually, unless you include the western farms it's slightly larger.”  
“Rog, not helping your case here.”  
Takeshi mock complained.  
“Well, to be honest it's actually intended to act as moira for all your matings as neither Mother nor I have given you one for your matings other than my sweet little niece.”  
“Okay, I guess that would be an acceptable excuse...”  
“There is one special thing about this area. One that sets it apart from other places here.”  
Roghan's voice held a teasing tone that instantly kicked Takeshi's curiosity into overdrive.  
“Oh?”  
“It's has the strongest known chronoshift of all claimed lands.”  
“How strong...?”  
Takeshi was way too curious to play along with Roghan's games with earned him a somewhat disappointed huff.  
“500 to 1 compared to the Human Realm.”  
 **“♫♪!”**  
Takeshi's sharp whistle instantly had the pack looking at him with wide eyes, it was the Obsidian equivalent of _Holy Fuck!_ which was not the kind of language they were used to hearing from him.  
“Take!”  
“Language!”  
  


The familiar complaint made Takeshi smile widely and take his top off before dropping to the ground to do his own version of the punishment for crude language.  
It was a full 10 minute, high pace workout with advanced push-ups in various handstand and 90° versions, including hands wide apart, one arm, and clapping, all without touching the ground with any part of his body other than his hands.  
To increase the efficiency of the workout he also called back the aspect of his power that helped mask his true wight, making him work against his full weight which was currently just over 200kg, rather than the roughly 90kg he would feel with his power assisting.  
During his latest power increase the density of his body had increased further, but he hadn't noticed until he broke one of the chairs in the gym when he sat down after a workout without allowing the power to kick back in.  
Of course, 200kg was still nothing to his enhanced strength, but he had learned a long time ago to deny his body the extra power, forcing it to work with raw muscle strength, and that way he could get a good workout without needing advanced weights.  
  


“Nice view.”  
“Yummy!”  
“Now that looks delicious.”  
“Oh my...”  
  


The various comments and catcalls triggered an urge to show off a bit so once Takeshi was done with his usual set he added some extra exercises to show off various aspects of his form, power, speed, control and balance.  
“Okay, now he's showing off.”  
Emelie quipped with a smile.  
“I don't mind.”  
Bran teased while staring at the show.  
“I don't think anyone here minds...”  
Tamalu licked her lips and tried to keep her pheromones from rising too much.  
After a few more moments Emelie flared her aura and released her full form as she turned to the gathered crowd with a hiss.  
“That's my soulmate you're ogling!”  
Her energy was mostly teasing, but it did carry a slight warning edge that made most of the spectators to back away and busy themselves with whatever distraction the could find, some of them kept watching though, but they did back off to do so discreetly.

“You sure know how to make things interesting.”  
Roghan quipped with a smile while nipping at the female he had with him to get her attention back.  
“I aim to please.”  
Takeshi quipped back while walking toward the stream to rinse off a bit.  
“Is your _companion_ going to be okay?”  
Emelie was slightly concerned with how strongly Takeshi had affected the young female.  
“She will be fine, she's about to enter her first heat, but she won't until after the feast.”  
“So, care to tell me a bit about her?”  
Emelie didn't address the female as she hadn't been introduced yet, in most demon cultures it would be highly inappropriate for her to do so, of course she knew Roghan wouldn't care, but she didn't want to put any more stress on the agitated demoness.

“She is the daughter of one of the lesser nobles in my domain, I have been asked to help her through her first heat as unmated females of her species can be quite dangerous during their heat as they will attempt to claim any male they come across.”  
“And you are strong enough to resist her?”  
“Indeed. Hopefully she will have found a suitable mate by the time she goes into her second heat.”  
“May I?”  
Emelie nodded slightly toward the female.  
“Of course. Tzadjukwen-yan why don't you say hello to my niece, Shirai Emelie, Yema of House Miri.”  
The name made Emelie roll her eyes slightly, some demon names could be a real pain in the ass.  
“Hello Shirai Yema.”  
She returned the greeting with a slight nod, the fact that Roghan has used _Yan_ rather than _Iera_ or _Yema_ when introducing the female was a way to show that there was a significant difference in rank between them, and it was also his way of subtly asking Emelie to observe at least some formality.  
“You may call me Em when we are reasonable alone.”  
Emelie wasn't big on formality and her asking the female to call her Em made Roghan sigh and shake his head.  
“As you wish Lady Em.”  
“Is it okay if I call you Wen? Your name is a bit complicated to remember.”  
“Of course...”  
Wen was almost rambling and her attention was constantly drifting.  
“Easy Wen, relax, enjoy yourself. Let uncle Rog take care of you, he knows what he's doing.”  
“Sorry, It's my heat...”  
“Don't worry, I understand. Your first heat can be pretty overwhelming.”  
For a moment Wen sat silently, then she looked up with a somewhat curious look.

“How was your first heat?”  
Emelie wasn't prepared for the question and it had her blushing slightly before smiling widely.  
“Oh, I haven't had my first true heat yet.”  
“Really? But you feel like...”  
Wen's voice trailed off, not sure if she was crossing any lines.  
“I have had a few pseudo heats. I get triggered by the heat of male packmates.”  
While they spoke Takeshi finished his quick clean up and was walking back toward them, towelling himself off with an omarachai skin, instantly drawing Wen's attention.  
“You seem to be quite taken with my soulmate.”  
Wen jumped noticeably when Emelie spoke up.  
  


“He is a strong, healthy, male. My instincts are telling me he would make a very good first mate for a new hive.”  
“Oh, your species are hive builders?”  
Wen just blushed brilliantly and nodded.  
“Would you be okay with me asking you some questions about that when you are a bit more relaxed?”  
“I guess...”  
“I find it very interesting to learn about other demon cultures.”  
She gave Wen a reassuring smile before turning to Takeshi.  
“Take, would you put some clothes on please, you are having a pretty strong effect on young Wen here.”  
The highly unusual request had Takeshi complying with haste before turning to Emelie with his head cocked in question.  
  


“Wen here, or well, she has agreed to letting me call her Wen, is about to enter her first heat, so you are all sorts of crazy tempting to her right now.”  
“Alright, I will try my best to curb my usual antics so I don't make things harder for her.”  
He turned to Wen with a polite nod and a neutral expression.  
“May I address you as Wen as well?”  
“Yes Yemo.”  
“Thank you Wen.”  
He took a seat on the far side of Emelie, placing her between himself and Wen.  
“I don't want you to be uncomfortable here so please, let me know if anything bothers you. Or if you need a break from my presence or the presence of any of the other males in our group.”  
“I will, thank you Yemo.”  
Wen blushed slightly and Takeshi noticed that Roghan's arms tightened slightly around her waist, it would seem even being casually friendly was enough to affect her.  
“Thanks Take, I appreciate your assistance in keeping Tzadjukwen-yan calm and comfortable. Females of her species have a very hard time with their heat if they are unmated.”  
The name made Takeshi shake his head with a smile, he quickly understood why Emelie had shortened it to Wen.  
  


“Like I said, I will make sure to do what I can to help make it easier for her, even if that means grabbing all the males, or non-females, for a nice, long, walk.”  
Wen blushed slightly at the promise.  
“You are very considerate...”  
Now it was Takeshi's turn to be slightly uncomfortable at the honest praise.  
“Take is a very strong alpha, and that comes through very clearly in how he interacts with others as well. But as you can see, he's not very good at taking compliments.”  
Emelie explained, and teased when Takeshi remained silent.  
“Indeed, my Yalii is crazy strong, pure alpha warrior, but that all that power is tempered by a kind heart and a gentle soul.”  
Lucifer's soft addition made Wen glance at him, but she quickly looked away, something Takeshi had noticed she did with all angels and his curiosity quickly got the better of him.  
  


“Wen, if you don't mind me asking, you don't seem to be affected by Lucifer or the other Obsidian angels.”  
“In my species, only the Queens and the non-reproductive forms of the worker caste have wings.”  
“So fertile females, like you, and infertile males and females who are the protectors and workers of the hive?”  
Emelie added her own question, asking for clarification.  
“That's right. It allows the Queen to maintain control of the genetics of the hive.”  
“So the fact that they have wings makes your instincts register them as infertile males and therefore unsuitable as mates? Or at least as first mates.”  
“Mhm, makes it easy to ignore them.”  
Emelie, Roghan and Takeshi shared a quick look agreeing that if things got too hard for Wen Takeshi could try borrowing the form of an Obsidian angel to see if that helped.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“On the topic of reproduction and heats, when is you next heat due?”  
Lucifer was looking at Takeshi with avid curiosity.  
“I'm not entirely sure since I have been spending so much time in the Demon realm. Angel, could you do the calculations for me?”  
“Of course.”  
There was a moments of silence, then Angel spoke up again.  
“Based on the time spent here and your previous cycles you should be entering a heat before the red moon reaches full.”  
“That soon?”  
Takeshi was somewhat surprised, he really needed to keep better track.  
“By my estimate yes.”  
The way Lucifer was licking his lips made everyone laugh.  
“Sorry Uncle Lucy, but Take has already promised this heat to Ylian to make a new clutch of spawns.”  
Emelie teased softly.  
“I see. A worthy endeavour.”  
There was a slight hint of disappointment though.  
“Don't worry, we will be staying long enough for at least one more heat. I'm sure he won't mind promising it to you.”  
“Actually I already have unless something unforeseen comes up.”  
Takeshi added softly while standing up and walking over to Lucifer and taking a seat next to him.  
“I am truly looking forward to spending a heat with you.”  
Leaning in he claimed a soft kiss while letting his hands brush over the large wings, earning them a few whoops and catcalls.  
  


“Spawns?”  
Linnéa's soft question quickly had the pack calming down, and they all listened while Takeshi and Ylian explained about their spawns.  
“Do you think I'll get to meet them while we are here?”  
“Definitely. Hopefully during the feast as they have promised to try to drop by for the final night and they don't take their word lightly.”  
Ylian revealed that the spawns had promised to try to visit which caused a few happy exclamations, especially from Sarah and Maria who had a strong bond with the young shadelings.  
“Oh, okay...”  
The way Linnéa's aura shifted to hesitant made Ylian wrap their arms around her in a tight hug.  
“Don't worry Linn, I'm sure you will get along just fine. They are almost as curious and crazy as their Para.”  
There was a soft snort of objection from Takeshi, but he didn't divert his attention away from Lucifer.  
”Oh, so it has nothing to do with you?”  
“Of course not.”  
Ylian denied with a smile, but it faltered slightly at the contemplative energy of Linnéa's aura.  
  


“What's on your mind sweetie?”  
“It's a bit strange thinking of you as a mother since you usually seem so, well, so male...”  
“I have been told that I feel a lot more female while carrying and caring for spawns.”  
“I guess that makes sense...”  
“Indeed, you instinctively associate many of the aspects of child rearing with feminine traits as it is the female who carries and nurses in humans.”  
“...”  
With her silence came a faint scent of tears that made Ylian pull her closer and they could feel the attention of the pack shifting, checking why Linnéa was sad.  
“You miss the comfort of a mother's arms, don't you?”  
“Mhm...”  
“I may just be a pana, but I would be more than happy to try to offer you some comfort.”  
“Thanks...”  
Linnéa quickly curled into Ylian's arms and the attention of the pack was replaced with calm reassurance as they left it to Ylian to comfort her.  
  


As evening turned to night the feast picked back up and the pack threw themselves into the almost trance-like state of the bodies dancing around the fires.  
Every now and then one, or a few of them would retreat to the sitting area for some food, sex, or just catching their breath or cuddling when the energy became too intense.  
“Wen, are you feeling okay?”  
Emelie was slightly concerned as Wen was once again fixated on Takeshi and was starting to feel agitated.  
“Yeah, it's just... My instincts...”  
“What are they telling you to do?”  
“...”  
“Yan, please, try to answer her question.”  
Roghan nudged her softly.  
“They tell me to inspect him, to find out more.”  
“Do you think giving in to that urge might help you relax?”  
Emelie picked back up.  
“Maybe...”  
“What do you say Rog, ask Take to let her have a bit of a look? It's not like she's strong enough to influence him, especially not with me here.”  
“We might as well, she's getting very agitated again and I was hoping to be able to stay here with her.”  
“Okay.”  
Emelie quickly reached out over the bonds, giving Takeshi a gentle tug, but with a slight hint of power telling him it was important.  
  


“You yanked?”  
A somewhat sweaty Takeshi greeted them with a teasing smile.  
“Mhm.”  
“So, what can I do for my lovely little soulmate?”  
“Well, Wen is getting agitated again, and she is fixated on you...”  
“Ah, want me to grab someone and get out of sight?”  
“Not just yet.”  
“Oh?”  
“Wen's instincts are telling her to give you a closer inspection, and we were hoping that it might help her calm down if you allow it.”  
Takeshi turned to Wen with a soft nod in greeting.  
“Ah, the Alpha in you needs to inspect what it recognizes as a potentially suitable mate?”  
Wen just nodded slightly.  
“Then we should give it a try.”  
He lowered himself into the lotus position and offered Wen a clawed hand, palm up.  
  


“Pretty...”  
Wan carefully inspected the sharp claws, which he wore fairly long while in the Demon realm, he also didn't bother with masking their true color which was a somewhat translucent black, almost like smoke, but with a distinctly metallic appearance.  
“Careful, my claws are sharp.”  
He cautioned her gently while allowing his hand to remain relaxed and let her bend and turn it as she pleased.  
“Ow...”  
He wasn't the least bit surprised when she tested the sharpness of his claws by pressing the pad of her index finger against one of them until it pierced her skin.  
“Told you.”  
He teased softly as she used her own claws to test the strength of his claws, which ended in her cutting a notch in her own claw as his was far stronger.  
  


When she crawled into his lap to have a closer look at his eyes he flashed her a wide, fanged, smile that instantly had her attention on his fangs and he patiently kept his mouth open while she poked at the double sets of fangs.  
“Be careful Wen, those fangs are even sharper than his claws, and he has vampiric abilities that respond very strongly to the taste of blood.”  
Emelie warned her, but they all had a feeling she would cut herself anyway, both to test their sharpness, and to test his reaction.  
When she did cut herself she pulled her hand back with a soft yelp, though it was mostly surprise as his fangs almost instantly grew to nearly double their normal length, and became significantly more slender.  
He instantly licked the drop of blood from his fang then closed his eyes and took a steadying breath as his vampiric instincts gave him a wealth of information about her, but what he found out made him want to frown and it took quite a bit of his focus to keep his features locked into a thoughtful smile.  
“Your blood speaks of power.”  
Takeshi hummed softly as Wen leaned back in, this time to have a closer look at his eyes and apparently that was enough to satisfy her instincts as she quickly curled up in his lap and fell into a deep sleep.  
  


“Phew...”  
Roghan released a deep sigh of relief as Wen's breathing and aura spoke of a deep, restful sleep.  
“I was getting worried, she hasn't slept for a very long time, too long even for one as young and resilient as her.”  
Roghan's words made Takeshi sigh as well, Wen's blood told him something was very wrong with the whole situation.  
“Rog, something's wrong here. She's too young even for the arashiri, much less a heat or mating. She's not ready...”  
“I know something is wrong, I have seen as much.”  
Roghan's eyes swirled with silver as he spoke.  
“But I can't seem to see what it is, I was hoping Father might be able to. And now with you confirming that something is very wrong it becomes even more important.”  
“We should investigate right away, while she sleeps.”  
“Agreed.”  
Roghan nodded softly.  
“Em, would you go fetch Father please?”  
“Of course.”  
“And get Miri while you're at it please, maybe her golden sight can see something they can't.”  
Takeshi added before she could leave.  
“I will love.”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“What does your sight tell you?”  
Roghan's soft question when Lucifer looked away from Wen earned him a soft head shake and drooping wings.  
“Other than the fact that she's not supposed to be going into heat yet, nothing.”  
“Miri, would you try please? Maybe your ability to see the threads of cause and effect can shed some light on this?”  
“I'll try.”  
Kneeling down next to Takeshi and Wen Miri took a few breaths to relax and focus before opening her eyes, revealing mercury swirling with gold and a hint of purple and as she slipped into a light trance the purple vanished indicating she was fully under the influence of her power.  
  


“Miri, can you tell us anything about what you see?”  
Takeshi spoke to her in a hushed tone, gently guiding her.  
“I see manipulation, an unworthy male. Attempting to control what is not his to control...”  
“Someone intentionally pushed her into a premature heat?”  
Roghan kept his voice soft so he didn't break her focus.  
“Yes, to trigger mating, breeding. To claim and breed. Before she has the power to assert her dominance.”  
“That could allow them to control an entire hive...”  
Roghan's voice was flat as he paled at the implications.  
“♪♫♫!”  
Lucifer cursed rather colorfully as the gold and silver faded from Miri's eyes and they returned to their normal deep purple.  
  


“How large is a hive of her kind?”  
Takeshi brushed his fingers through Miri's hair as he spoke.  
“Not very large, usually no more than 500 individuals depending on how rich their territory is. The lifespan of the workers is only about 100 years and the queens are only fertile for about 1000 years. And at the end of their fertile cycle they will spawn a few fertile females to establish a new court.”  
Lucifer quickly answered Takeshi's question.  
“And how long do the queens live?”  
“They are eternals, but once they become infertile and a new fertile queen has risen they take their mates, half the hive and leave their territories.”  
“You mentioned that they produce several fertile females at the end of their cycle...”  
“Yes, and the strongest will become the new queen while her weaker sisters will have their fertility suppressed and become her guards. They also form a backup in case the fertile queen is killed or rendered unable to reproduce.”  
“How would a premature heat effect that?”  
“I don't know... But I have my suspicions...”  
Lucifer shook his head with a sigh.  
“Her heat will change her energies and pheromones, she will register as a mature queen. Her immature sisters will fall in line and become her guards.”  
Miri confirmed what they all suspected, further souring their mood.  
  


“Miri, are you able to tell us anything about who is behind this, or why they want to control the hive?”  
“My sight didn't show me who, but it did show me why.”  
“Can you tell us anything about it?”  
“A bit, but no details.”  
“Please, anything you can tell us might help.”  
“I saw workers being sold at markets...”  
“Slaves...”  
Miri just nodded, eyes shining with tears.  
“It would be possible...”  
Roghan's voice was still flat, void of emotion, which was a sure sign that he was struggling to stay in control of himself.  
“The workers mature quickly, and have limited free will, if they are ordered by the queen, or one of the queen's consorts, to obey the buyer they will. And a young, healthy queen could spawn them by the thousands.”  
“But to be sold as slaves, don't most territories prohibit such practices?”  
Takeshi was struggling to keep his aura calm so he didn't wake Wen.  
“They do when it's greater demons. But the worker caste of her species has limited mental capacity and free will so in many territories they are denied the full rights of a greater demon. So it's very possible that some territories would permit them to be sold and owned like livestock.”  
“Barring slaughter for food, huh?”  
Takeshi couldn't help sneering in distaste as he spoke.  
“Indeed.”  
Lucifer's answer didn't lessen Takeshi's distaste and suddenly a very disturbing though crawled through his mind, leaving a distasteful chill.  
  


“The females of the worker caste, they are a non-reproductive form, but are they...?”  
He couldn't even bring himself to fully voice the question.  
“Sexually compatible?”  
He nodded stiffly to Lucifer's soft question.  
“Yeah, they are with most demonic species...”  
Lucifer confirmed his worry.  
“I can't...”  
Takeshi was struggling to keep his energies down, but they still began flaring, but when Wen stirred slightly he managed to clamp down on the errant energy and force it back under control.  
“I can't idly stand by in the face of something like that.”  
The way Takeshi's jaw muscles kept clenching revealed just how upset he was, and it was all he could do to keep from digging his claws into his hands and drawing blood, or losing control of his aura.  
When Relyn reached out and brushed his fingers over the tense muscle Takeshi startled slightly, not expecting the angel to touch him.  
“So tense...”  
A sudden, hard, poke at the muscle forced it to unclench and made him tilt his head and stare at Relyn.  
“I don't like it.”  
The grumpy tone made Takeshi relax with a sigh and offer him a weak smile.  
  


“You're right, now is not the time to be tense and moody over things we can't do anything about for now. We need to enjoy the feast while we can, it's too late to prevent her heat so we need to focus on the fallout, on helping her through it and protecting her, and her sisters, afterwards.”  
For a moment Relyn nodded in agreement and understanding, then he apologized softly for the rough way he had poked Takeshi.  
“Don't worry, if you hadn't someone in the pack would have, and chances are they would have been even less gentle about it.  
“Really?”  
Relyn seemed somewhat surprised by the idea of the pack being rough with Takeshi, despite everything he had no doubt seen.  
“Indeed, they don't pull their punches if they feel I'm behaving contrary to my best interests.”  
“I guess I really shouldn't be surprised about that. Pack Kiryu is not your average pack.”  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi huffed before giving Relyn a soft nudge.  
“Now how about you get back to the feast and see if you can't find a nice hunter to offer your heart to.”  
For a moment Relyn just looked at him, then he shook his head slightly.  
  


“None of them sing to me.”  
“I see, I'm sorry.”  
The simiriwi, recognition of a suitable mate, was commonly described as the feeling of a soul singing to your own.  
“But you do... A soft, beautiful song.”  
“I know, your soul whispers a song as well, a happy song that suits your name well. But you know as well as I do that to be truly happy you need more than what I can offer.”  
“I know.”  
Relyn smiled and nodded before heading toward the fires.  
“So, you both feel the simiriwi, and yet you both agree that you should not mate...”  
Lucifer was clearly curious about the entire interaction he just watched.  
  


“I wouldn't mind having him as a mate, but even I can tell that he needs more. To blossom, to truly be happy, he needs to be the first mate of a good alpha. One that would allow him to rise and be a co-alpha despite being a beta.”  
“Indeed, a solitary alpha would do him good.”  
Lucifer agreed with a teasing smile.  
“Maybe set him up with Marakell?”  
Lucifer's suggestion made Takeshi shake his head.  
“No, you know that wouldn't work. Marakell would be an excellent choice of an alpha, though not a solitary one, but they are both intensely loyal and true to their word. Marakell would never give up on his place as Miri's Champion.”  
“And Relyn would never surrender his position on the Blood Guard, though, I would be more than happy to release him from his oath if he finds a good mate.”  
Lucifer agreed with a teasing smile, making it quite clear that the suggestion had been a test.  
“And Miri would release Marakell should he ever feel the urge to take a mate again.”  
Takeshi agreed, he doubted Marakell ever would though, but he wouldn't give up hope.  
“They would make a cute couple though...”  
Lucifer kept pushing slightly.  
“Indeed they would  
Takeshi nodded before gently moving Wen over to Roghan's lap so that he could join his pack.  
“Would you let me know if she wakes and is distressed again?”  
“Of course. Now go, take care of your pack, this is my duty, you don't need to try to carry it as well.”  
“I will.”  
Looking out over the crowd Takeshi focused on locating Jackal, he had been quiet and withdrawn since their arrival in the Demon realm and it was starting to worry him.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“My dear Jacky, how are you doing?”  
“I don't know... All of this... It's just...”  
 _“Please, answer me honestly, do you want me to bring you back to Hawaii?”_  
Takeshi allowed suggestion to bleed into his voice, earning him a bit of a glare as Jackal sensed it.  
“No!”  
There was absolutely no hesitation in the refusal.  
“I'll be okay, I just need a bit more time. There's so many new things... Just as I start getting a hang of it something new appears.”  
Jackal's soft complaint made Takeshi smile at him.  
“I'm sorry. I know it's a lot.”  
He pulled Jackal into his arms and held on tightly.  
“I'm just getting a bit worried. You have been distancing yourself from everyone and it has me concerned.”  
When Takeshi finally voiced his concerns Jackal sighed, then snorted at him.  
“Fine fine, don't make the worrywart worry...”  
“Easier said than done.”  
Takeshi quipped back at him as he stumbled slightly at the end.  
“Indeed, you worry far too much.”  
Jackal didn't rise to the bait, but his aura did turn apologetic.

“I didn't mean to make you worry.”  
Jackal began trailing kisses along the underside of Takeshi's jaw.  
“The plan was to **not** make you guys worry, I was trying to shield you and the pack from feeling my struggles with dealing with this place.”  
“I understand.”  
Takeshi sighed and pushed Jackal back slightly so he could look him in the eye.  
“But Jacky, the pack, and I, want you to be part of our lives, and be part of your life. That includes letting us worry, and letting us help you.”  
“You mean me, becoming pack?”  
“Yeah, I do. I know I'm adding even more to an already confusing situation, but would you accept becoming pack? Become ours?”  
“Right now?”  
Jackal gave him a crooked look, but his aura was shimmering with joy and hope.  
“Well, if you want to, I would be more than happy to claim you here and now. But there is no need to rush things, you take as long as you need to think about it. After all, if you do accept it will be hard for you return to Red and the others.”  
“Because I won't be comfortable away from you and the pack...”  
“Indeed.”  
For a moment Jackal just looked at Takeshi in silence, then he broke into a wide smile and bared the left side of his neck along with the shoulder, making Takeshi suck in a sharp breath.

“ _Are you sure?”_  
Power bled into Takeshi's voice as he leaned in and sniffed at Jackal's neck.  
“Of course I am sure.”  
Takeshi sighed softly at the confirmation and licked at the spot where the mark would go.  
“Go on, I know you want to have a taste.”  
The fact that Jackal was teasing him made Takeshi smile, then bite down and savor the subtle spice of Jackal's blood.  
 _“May I tease you a bit? Light your fire?”_  
Takeshi wanted to add the deep spice of strong arousal to the flavor of Jackal's blood.  
“Yes..!”  
The hissed out response was all he needed and moments later Jackal gasped as Takeshi used every trick he knew to push him to the edge.

With one last push Takeshi sent the young man, male, into the abyss while pouring power into him, claiming him for the pack, and influenced by the powerful release Jackal didn't even notice when he placed the scale under his skin.  
The reaction to the scale was quite different though as he already carried tattoos, instead of a scale pattern down his back mimicking Takeshi's own dragon the scale fused into Jackals existing tattoo's, giving the scarab over his chest a true carapace made from tiny scales.  
The jewelry, armor bits and weapon of Anubis on his back were also enhanced with scales, making the tattoo glint in the light from the fires, making Takeshi very happy that Jackal was fond of going topless.  
  


“Damn, you have picked up a few new tricks...”  
Jackal was grinning like a madman while trying to get his breathing back under control.  
“Nah, not new, I just haven't used them on you until now.”  
“Oh, holding out on me?”  
Jackal quipped back, his mood bubbling with joy.  
“Well, I need to have a few aces up my sleeve to keep my lovers on their toes.”  
“Mmm, I guess.”  
Jackal nodded with a smile.  
“I guess I should go see the others to form the bonds properly. Find my position in the pack...”  
“Indeed, but don't worry, they are pretty used to it by now.”  
“Yeah, but I'm not...”  
“You'll do fine, you have good instincts, and your experience as a mercenary has honed you sense for how far you can push someone.”  
“I guess... I'll be back soon...”  
Takeshi was very happy that Jackal acted on his own, and pushed his joy and pride over the bond while keeping an eye on him as he approached Emelie and Dan.  
  


“Welcome to the pack Jacky.”  
Emelie smiled at him and greeted him with her arms open.  
“Thank you alpha.”  
He bowed his head slightly to her, baring the fresh mark and she gently added some of her power to it.  
“Don't worry, you'll do fine.”  
With a gentle nudge she turned him over to Dan, who greeted him with a heated kiss before asking him to submit.  
“I hope this doesn't mean we can't continue our experiments...”  
Jackal half begged, half teased, he very much enjoyed helping Dan work on his old issues, especially with Takeshi watching them.  
“Not at all. Our, _sessions_ , have been very helpful to me.”  
Leaning in Dan kissed Jackal again, but this time it was a softer kiss, a kiss that helped him flood the forming bond with gratitude.  
“Thank you Jacky for being patient with me.”  
“And thank you Beta for humoring me.”  
The teasing smile and ritualistic choice of words made Dan grin at him and push him into Ylian's waiting arms, the shadeling, and the rest of the pack, had all gathered around.

“You submit very well for being such a strong fighter.”  
Ylian praised Jackal's calm surrender as they added a touch of shadows to the bond, shadows that quickly settled into the tattoo's, further enhancing their appearance.  
“And you wear my shadows beautifully...”  
Again a soft kiss was shared before Jackal turned to Amanda and repeated a similar process, this time receiving a flower from the Crown of Atlantis.  
“Thank you Beta.”  
With the Betas out of the way Takeshi began watching with more focus, curious to see where Jackal would position himself within the rankings of the pack, he had a feeling it would be a high position due to his experience from being a mercenary.  
The positions weren't entirely stable though as the pack had received a lot of new members lately and they were all young, still maturing, finding their true power, which meant that the positions within the pack changed a lot, but Jackal would probably place himself above the girls, and they would probably accept that.

“Hugin, my instincts are telling me to challenge you, but I don't want to fight you, so do you think you can handle accepting me as an equal for now, and we find some way to resolve it later, ideally without a fight?”  
Takeshi was very surprised at the exchange, but also very pleased, and when Hugin accepted with an embarrassed chirp he flooded the bonds with approval and pride.  
Munin quickly bowed his head slightly, but without submitting.  
“Are you willing to offer me the same deal?”  
Munin kept himself in a neutral stance while he spoke, not wanting to trigger anything if Jackal was willing to resolve their positions without conflict.  
“Yeah, no fighting during the feast.”  
Jackal quickly agreed before turning to Jenna and Nelly.  
“How about you two?”  
“Agreed.”  
“Yeah, that sounds good.”  
“Eric?”  
“No, I can feel it, I may turn out to be more dominant than you, but you are definitely stronger than me.”  
Eric submitted without complaints.  
The rest of the pack simply bowed their heads to Jackal, accepting him as being higher ranked than them, though Amber did warn him that once she came into her Alpha nature fully she would probably challenge him.  
  


“And I will probably fight you over it, I don't think I will submit unless you prove yourself to be stronger than me regardless of your alpha status.”  
He reached out and ruffled her hair, earning him a flash of fangs before she pounced on him and tried to bite his ear, but he was an experienced fighter so she found herself sailing through the air.  
Twisting around she landed in a crouch, hissed at him, then started laughing.  
“Looks like I may need a few more years before I try that.”  
“Definitely.”  
He walked over and offered her his hand and when she took it he pulled her to her feet with a smile.  
“I'll be more than happy to help you train.”  
“Thanks!”  
She gave him a tight hug, then blushed and hurried over to the others.  
  


“Jacky, why don't you shift so we can see how that scale and shadow fragment looks in your other forms.”  
Dan called out, encouraging Jackal to show them the forms given to him by the Blessing.  
“Admit it, you just want to see me in a loincloth.”  
Jackal quipped with a teasing smile.  
“That is definitely a welcome bonus.”  
Dan agreed with a smile, he very much enjoyed seeing Jackal in his Anubis form, but unfortunately he rarely got the opportunity to.  
  


Jackal almost always wore loose fitting cargo pants, but when he shifted to his Anubis form the digitigrade legs and tail made them very uncomfortable, and he rarely used the full beast form.  
To deal with it he had spent a lot of time and effort to learn how Takeshi shifted items and clothes, and had eventually learned how to replace the cargo pants with a simple loincloth, and eventually learned to do it with a fairly elaborate one.  
  


“Oh, you have scales on you legs now.”  
Nelly was the first to spot what was different, the lower part of Jackal's legs from the paws to the hook and wrist had developed scales almost like the legs of a bird.  
“The shadow seems to just have melded with your fur though, making it blend better with the shadows around you.”  
Jackal just huffed at her, he didn't really care about any changes to his beast form, all he cared about was his Anubis form and he quickly reached for it.  
“You really don't like being in you jackal form, do you?”  
Linnéa approached with curiosity while Jackal shifted.  
  


“No, I don't. The instincts of that form muddles my mind, makes it hard to think. In this form I get all the benefits from the instincts, but my mind is still sharp and clear.”  
“Oh, okay. I guess I wouldn't like it either if shifting made it hard to think...”  
“If Take is right, and he usually is, then that form is a side effect and this form is my true form.”  
“Hmm.. It's a totally hot form, too bad we play on the same team.”  
Linnéa quipped with a teasing smile.  
“Actually, I play on both teams, I'm just used to sticking to males so I won't knock someone up. Not entirely used to not needing to worry about that stuff just yet.”  
“Oh...”  
Linnéa instantly turned a brilliant red as she realized the implications of his words.  
“You are definitely not bad looking yourself.”  
He leaned in and whispered for her ears only, leaving her spluttering as he stepped away to let the others have a closer look at the subtle changes.  
“My my, you're even hotter like this.”  
Sol sauntered over to Jackal with a wide smile.  
“And so tall...”  
  


While in his full on Anubis form Jackal went from being short for a male to being noticeably taller than Takeshi if he stood up properly, but he was significantly slimmer, he was in fact the slimmest of them all, slimmer than humanly possible.  
He would usually alter his form though, choosing a form with a fully plantigrade stance, it was a more familiar balance, and took less energy to just stand around, but it limited his speed and jumping power.  
The further into the digitigrade the form went, the faster he became, and he became capable of far more powerful jumps.  
  


“You have the scales down you back in this form and they blend really nice with your fur.”  
Dan brushed his fingers along the pattern of scales, earning him a slight shiver and a soft gasp.  
“Feels good, doesn't it?”  
“Mhm...”  
“I think the fur looks a bit different.”  
Amanda hummed softly as she approached, then brushed her fingers over his chest.  
“Yeah, the shadows have melded into your fur, bet you will be even harder to spot in the dark now.”  
“I think some of the shadows went into my claws too, they feel different.”  
Jackal's words instantly had Ylian's attention and they grabbed his hands to have a closer look.  
“You're right. You seem to have taken very well to that shadow fragment.”  
Letting go of Jackal's hands Ylian took a step back and abandoned their corporeal form.  
  


“ _Come, take a swing at me, as if trying to draw blood.”_  
Jackal did as asked, and moments later Ylian reformed, now sporting slashes on his arm that slowly seeped a viscous black liquid that looked very much like blood, but it was reabsorbed into their form after a few moments.  
“You have used the fragment I gave you to gain the ability to actually harm a shadow while in their incorporeal form. That is very impressive. It's a skill that few master.”  
“I'm sorry...”  
Jackal was clearly somewhat distraught as he grabbed Ylian's arm and leaned in, gently licking at the wounds which made Ylian pat his head and gently run their hand over the pinned ears.  
“Ssh, it's okay. I knew it was a possibility that you would be able to do this. And don't worry, it will heal fast.”  
Ylian's reassurances didn't stop the careful licking, but the ears did perk back up and the tail resumed a neutral position.  
Spurred by the new pack instincts Jackal kept licking at the wounds until they had vanished, returning to the image of flawless skin.  
  


“Okay, that was a bit strange...”  
Jackal held on to Ylian's arm for a few more moments, then gave it one last quick lick before letting go.  
“Strange how?”  
“It's not the first time I have hurt someone during sparring, even loved ones and people I consider family. But my reaction now, it was so much stronger...”  
“It's the pack instincts, not only are the instincts not to harm pack very strong, I'm also one of the dominant beta's of the pack, giving you an instinctive urge to keep me happy.”  
Ylian just explained in their usual calm manner.  
“I really hope the effect fades a bit or I'm going to have a hard time with sparring...”  
“Don't worry, it will. Right now all your instincts are in overdrive, adjusting to the bonds of pack.”  
While Ylian spoke Jackal began to relax and the shift bled away, returning him to his human form.  
“You have a real knack for explaining this stuff.”  
“Well, someone has to.”  
Ylian quipped with a smile before giving Jackal a quick kiss.  
“I think it might be a good idea for you to go calm our dear alpha down a bit before he gets any more antsy.”  
“Mhm...”  
Jackal snorted and headed back toward Takeshi who had reacted strongly to his own distress at hurting Ylian.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Feast of Fire_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“I'm sorry Alpha, I hurt our Beta, hurt Ylian...”  
Jackal was trailing kisses along the underside of Takeshi's jaw.  
“It's okay amo, yi has already healed, and yi knew what yi was doing.”  
“I know, it's just...”  
“Instincts making you feel really bad about it?”  
“Mhm... And you picked up on that, didn't you?”  
“Indeed. But like I've told you before, these kinds of mishaps are a pretty regular thing for us. We will get used to the new bond, and you will get used to the instincts.”  
“I guess...”  
“It will be easier if you open up and allow the pack to support you.”  
“...”  
“Trust me, you will feel better once you give in to the bond.”  
“I know... I can feel it, but it's... I...”  
When Jackal went silent Takeshi just wrapped his arms around him and held him.  
  


“I won't be able to return to Red and the others, will I?”  
By the time Jackal spoke up again Takeshi had brushed his hair, and was working on braiding it into hundreds of micro braids, adding beads made from turquoise, lapis lazuli and gold as he went.  
“No, you probably won't. Your pack instincts are strong.”  
“I'm worried about them...”  
“I know you are. They are your family, your original pack.”  
“I'm worried about how they will manage as a unit without my particular set of skills...”  
“I know it won't be easy for you to come to terms with, but I think Wraith's young lover will be able to step into your shoes and keep them safe.”  
For a moment Jackal was silent, considering Takeshi's words about Wraith's demon lover, Mist, taking his place in the unit.  
  


“Mist's a beta, right?”  
“Mhm, a soft one.”  
“So he won't try to usurp Red?”  
“No, he will accept Red as the dominant alpha and Wiz as her co-alpha. He will no doubt be butting heads with TamTam over the male beta position though.”  
”Is that dangerous for Tam?”  
“No, not really, Tam has everyone's trust, and that will make Mist submit to him, at least until he has earned a similar level of trust. Also, Tam registers as a more dominant beta, so Mist will probably end up accepting being third in line, with Wraith being the female beta.”  
“Are you going to offer the others the Blessing?”  
The almost desperate feeling of anticipation that accompanied Jackal's question made Takeshi smile at him.  
“Of course I am.”  
“If you don't mind, why have you waited?”  
“Because I want Mist to learn to care for and love a human pack, I want him to offer Wraith a proper courtship while she is human.”  
Takeshi's words had Jackal nodding and humming, then he went silent and looked back up at Takeshi.  
“You want them to come to you and ask for it, for Mist's sake, and for Wraith, so he won't lose them, and she will be able to properly court and mate him.”  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi gave him a soft kiss before looking out over the dance around the bonfires.  
“How about we join our pack and drown ourselves in the bonds?”  
“Yeah, that sounds good, Alpha.”


	5. Making Plans

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Take!”  
“They're here!”  
Takeshi found himself tackled to the ground by Sarah and Maria who were very eager to tell him that they had spotted the four spawns approaching from the market.  
“I know sweetie. I can feel them.”  
“Can we go meet them?”  
“Please!”  
“Hai hai, just let me get up from here.”  
Both quickly scrambled away to let him get up.  
“Ðunn, Eir, would you like to come along and meet the spawns?”  
“Of course!”  
Iðunn and Eir quickly excused themselves from the group of hunters who had been teaching them how to play mallakuu.  
“Have fun.”  
The hunters waved and smiled as the twins got up.  
“Just let us know if you want more lessons.”  
One of the younger offered further lessons.  
“We will, thank you Yin-Seli.”  
The young hunter instantly blushed pure black when Iðunn addressed him with _Yin-Seli,_ a title that was usually reserved for the most skilled and experienced hunters, but she had used it as a more general term, wanting to convey a sense of respect and gratitude to all of the hunters.  
“Thank you all for teaching us.”  
Eir added with a slight bow and moments later Iðunn grabbed her hand and they took off running toward Takeshi, Ylian and their fellow twins.  
  


“Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe, it's good to see you again.”  
Takeshi couldn't help smiling as he greeted the spawns, who had chosen to keep the names given to them by Sarah and Maria.  
“It is indeed good to see you Alpha.”  
“Pana...”  
For a moment the spawns became incorporeal, and Ylian followed suit, greeting their offspring by allowing their forms to merge for a moment.  
“And how are our favorite baby sisters?”  
“Hey!”  
“We're the big sisters!”  
Sarah and Maria instantly objected  
“Nuh uh.”  
“We are over 100 of your years old, that makes you the baby sisters.”  
The spawns mock argued back and forth with Sarah and Maria for a bit before Takeshi spoke up.  
  


“Actually, with Meg's litters I think you girls all qualify as middle sisters.”  
“I guess...”  
“Fine...”  
Sarah and Maria surrendered and a slight flare of Takeshi's aura had the young shadelings surrendering as well.  
“Okay kids, this is Iðunn and Eir.”  
The way the shadelings rolled their eyes when Takeshi called them kids instantly had everyone smiling.  
“Para... We're not kids anymore...”  
The grumbling only caused more smiles.  
“I'm your para and alpha, I can call you kids whenever I want to.”  
“Admit it, you just forgot.”  
“I think our dear pana might be the one who forgot to tell him.”  
“Pana, you forgot to tell him, didn't you?”  
Everyone were looking at Ylian, who was squirming slightly.  
  


“Ami, what are they talking about?”  
Takeshi leveled Ylian with a mock glare.  
“ _Yitzei_ , the proper way to address a group of shadeling siblings who have survived the age of metamorphosis.”  
“Yitzei, I will try to remember that...”  
“It's okay Para, we really don't mind.”  
The tone instantly turned somewhat more sober as they assured Takeshi they didn't take insult at being called kids.  
“If you are all done channeling your para, I do believe he was trying to introduce you to these lovely young ladies.”  
Ylian decided they better try to get things back on track as their spawns could be very much like Takeshi.  
  


The small group quickly turned to Iðunn and Eir to introduce themselves then went dead silent as they finally took the time to inspect their auras a bit more carefully.  
“Oh, you are kin.”  
The surprise in their auras had Iðunn and Eir struggling not to laugh.  
“Tell me Miney, are you four always this observant?”  
Iðunn's teasing quip had all four of them squirming and spluttering somewhat before Moe stepped in and answered.  
“Yeah, pretty much...”  
“I think you're gonna be in trouble...”  
Eir gave Takeshi a pointed glance and the spawns all looked somewhat nervous as they turned and were met with a very frustrated posture and glare, but the aura also held a hint of disappointment that they were not paying attention to their surroundings as keenly as he had tried to teach them to.  
  


“Yeah, we're in deep shit.”  
Eenie huffed with a wide smile.  
“We better give our sisters a proper greeting.”  
Meenie continued.  
“Before our dear para decides to kick our asses.”  
Miney finished.  
Holding their arms out they all approached Iðunn and Eir and continued on to giving both of them tight hugs in greeting before stepping back and gently reaching out with their auras and wisps of their incorporeal form to further get to know their sisters.  
  


“Moe, I may be new to the Demon realm, but even I know that's a bit too familiar.”  
Iðunn scolded softly when Moe wrapped their aura around her and allowed the wisp of their incorporeal form pass through her.  
When Moe nodded at her but didn't pull back she gave them a sweet smile while holding up her index finger, then poked them in the chest, delivering a sharp jolt of bright light than had the young shadeling jumping back with a yelp and a soft curse.  
“Ouch, that stings...”  
Moe's soft complaint earned them some teasing snickers from their siblings and a wide smile from Iðunn.  
“Mhm, it's supposed to.”  
“How cruel...”  
Moe turned to Takeshi with a teasing glint, pretending to seek the comfort of their para but Takeshi just offered a crooked smile.  
“Maybe now you will think twice before teasing your sisters.”  
“Pana..!?”  
With no sympathy to be had from Takeshi Moe turned to Ylian instead, but the way their aura was bubbling with repressed amusement wasn't very promising for the playful spawn.  
“Hmpf, you know perfectly well that you deserved that.”  
The mock attempt to complain to Ylian yielded about the same result, but this time with a slight zap of dark energy, telling them to behave and be nice to their sisters as they were still new to all things demon.  
  


“It's okay Ylian, we can handle them.”  
“They're just teasing.”  
“And what I did, that was just a tiny demonstration.”  
Iðunn's last addition held a warning edge, telling the spawns that she could do more than just give them a sting.  
“She's scary...”  
“Definitely Alpha's daughter...”  
“Mhm...”  
“Just as crazy as our Para...”  
Eenie's comment about them being crazy triggered another round of teasing quips and mock fighting.  
  


“By the way, Yitzei was it?”  
“That's right.”  
“Would you be terribly insulted if we forget about you being genderless and refer to you as males from time to time?”  
“You look very much like males.”  
“And feel male...”  
Iðunn and Eir both had a slightly nervous edge in their aura, they didn't want to inadvertently insult their half siblings.  
“We have chosen a form that is a mix of our Para's appearance, and our Pana's favored form, which most consider to be male, so it's not so strange that we appear to be male as well.”  
“Don't worry, we won't take insult.”  
“Indeed, it might even be nice to be big brothers.”  
The exchange had Takeshi smiling, and pulling Ylian to his side.  
“They are definitely siblings...”  
Ylian huffed with a smile before leaning into Takeshi's side and settling back to watch the children of House Shamarai interact, and bond.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Yitzei, I have something to tell you.”  
Ylian had watched their spawns bonding with their sisters for a good hour before speaking up.  
“Oh?”  
“What?”  
“Our alpha will be going into heat soon...”  
“Oh, you intend to try for another clutch?”  
The spawns instantly caught on to what they were trying to say.  
“We do.”  
Ylian nodded softly.  
“That's great!”  
“May it be as successful as our clutch was.”  
“Thank you yinti.”  
Meenie instantly blushed slightly and spluttered.  
“Excuse me, but what does _Yinti_ mean?”  
Iðunn's interruption was met with equal parts amusement and relief, and a hint of embarrassment.  
  


“It means _Baby_ , or _Little one_ , it's similar to ami, but used exclusively for infants or very young children, usually ones who are not yet weaned.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
“Would it follow the same pattern and become yonto and yanta?”  
Eir quickly made a guess on how to adjust the word for male and female forms.  
“Almost, it's yonti and yanti.”  
“Okay.”  
“We'll try to remember that.”  
“I'm sure Angel will be more than happy to help you practice your Urui.”  
“Of course Take, it's good practice for developing the new mainframe as it helps me build new quantum-neurons, improving my processing capacity.”  
The voice coming from one of the insect drones did draw some attention from the other demons in the small park where they had settled down.  
  


“Oh, hello Angel.”  
“We didn't notice you there.”  
“That new drone is very impressive.”  
“Looks just like the familiars.”  
“Indeed, I thought it was Iðunn's or Eir's familiar.”  
The spawns quickly greeted Angel, and learning that the drone was not a familiar they started to look around, searching for a second familiar.  
“Nah, Fenrir is our only familiar.”  
“You share a familiar?”  
There was a slight hint of surprise in Eenie's voice.  
“Mhm, but she's an amazing familiar.”  
“She's a true life form, right?”  
“Mhm.”  
“She's part shadow, part wolf and part dragon.”  
Iðunn's pride in their familiar was obvious and the spawns nodded in understanding.  
“A potent mix.”  
“Yeah, crazy potent...”  
“And I think she has a thing for Yami...”  
Moe's quip about Fenrir being interested in Yami earned them a somewhat annoyed growl followed by some very pointed dismissal, and ignoring.  
  


“Yami is definitely interested in her.”  
Takeshi added with a knowing smile, earning him a similar treatment from Yami.  
“We could get very interesting results if those two were to breed.”  
Miney was instantly very interested which caused the other three to sigh and groan.  
“Great, now you got yi started...”  
“Oh?”  
Takeshi was eager to learn about his children as he had not spent as much time with them as he would have liked, something he was hoping to remedy during this longer stay.  
  


“Miney has a thing for trying to crossbreed all kinds of lesser demons...”  
“I'm trying to see if I can develop bloodlines with compatible genetic strains that can help save endangered species in the Human realm.”  
“That does sound like a worthwhile pursuit.”  
Takeshi was quick to defend Miney's line of reasoning.  
“We know, yi just tends to get a bit involved sometimes.”  
Meenie huffed with a smile.  
“I assume Fenrir is every bit as resilient and intelligent as Yami is, right?”  
“Mhm...”  
“Imagine creating a shadow hybrid with their intelligence and resilience to disease and genetic degradation, and ability to function in a zero prana environment.”  
Miney gained a somewhat dreamy energy as they launched into talking about one of their favorite topics.  
“Then if we could breed those traits into a compatible intermediate species, like for instance a Blessed wolf, and allow it to interbreed with wolf packs, either naturally, or by artificial insemination.”  
“Breeding more intelligent wolves who are resilient to disease, better able to survive, and who won't suffer genetic degradation from inbreeding unless it's severe and prolonged...”  
When Iðunn spoke up, finishing Miney's line of reasoning, the young shadeling offered her a brilliant smile before pulling her into a tight hug.  
“Exactly!”  
Miney spun around with Iðunn in their arms before setting her back down.  
“See, my sweet baby sister gets me!”  
“You definitely just became yi's favorite sibling.”  
The others laughed and teased, but Miney ignored them and turned to Fenrir and Yami and sat down on the ground next to them to to talk to them.  
  


“Would you two be willing to help me with this project? Willing to breed offspring that might help save the Human realm wolves?”  
For a moment the two shadows looked at each other in total silence then they bumped their heads against Miney, radiating approval and agreement.  
“Thank you.”  
Miney's aura was radiating pure joy and gratitude as they hugged the two wolves then pounced on their parents, and siblings in turn, unable to contain their excitement.  
  


“ _They're kinda cute...”_  
Iðunn reached out for her sister over the deep bond they shared.  
 _“Mhm, kinda like a younger, more innocent version of dad.”  
“I think I'm going to enjoy getting to know them, all of them.”  
“Me too...”_  
They shared a knowing smile before turning their attention back to their family, and the way Takeshi looked at them told them he was aware that they had shared something over their own private bond.  
  


“How about we head back to the others? I'm sure they are all eager to see you yitzei.”  
Takeshi gave them all a gentle nudge over the bonds to get their attention and soon the group were walking toward the fires.  
“Linn is gonna love you guys.”  
Eir practically chirped as they came close enough to properly feel the auras of the others.  
“This Linn of yours sounds like an interesting person.”  
“She is. And you better be nice to her.”  
“Mhm, she's ours!”  
“We will protect her, even from you.”  
The strong reaction had all four pulling their auras back slightly and turning their heads to the side in symbolic submission.  
“Oh, I do believe our sweet little sisters are alphas in the making.”  
Meenie cooed with a brilliant smile once they turned back to Iðunn and Eir.  
“Just watch out for her Auntie.”  
“Mhm, you're all kinda hot so Sol is totally gonna try to shag you all...”  
“Oh?”  
“I'm unfamiliar with the word shag...”  
“Oh, I'm pretty sure I know what it means...”  
Eenie's somewhat lewd smile and obvious curiosity earned them some snickers and teasing comments about their adventurous approach to sex.  
“Mhm.”  
Iðunn hummed happily, enjoying the fact that they had learned another bit of information about one of the shadelings.  
“She looks and feels pretty human, but she has a lot of succubus traits.”  
“We will be mindful of her.”  
“Thank you for the warning.”  
The teasing quips back and forth continued as they approached the low tables and piles of bedding next to the small pond where the pack had made themselves at home.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“How are my favorite cousins?”  
Emelie gave each of them a tight hug, and they hugged her back just as tightly, and each of them stole a tiny spark of her energy before letting go.  
“So I'm still Emmy the tasty cousin, am I?”  
“Of course.”  
Emelie responded to the teasing quip by zapping Moe with a spark of her power, just like how she used to zap them to revert them to their egg forms before their metamorphosis.  
The spark of power only made the mature shadeling smile at her, then pick her up and throw the shrieking succubus to their sibling.  
“I'll get you for that!”  
“Of course you will little cousin.”  
Emelie squirmed and hissed, but her aura was alight with pure joy and happiness, eagerly seeking out the bonds of kin.  
  


“Wait, you're really cousins?”  
Linnéa's confused question had the group calming down and turning to her to explain.  
“Indeed we are.”  
“Our Pana is her Susai.”  
“Easy please, I'm still just beginning to learn Urui.”  
“The Arai male who sired Em is Ylian's brother by blood.”  
“I'm confused...”  
There was a sad note to Linnéa's voice and her aura was flickering with uncertainty and hints of shame, which instantly had everyone gathering around to soothe her, and made Iðunn and Eir glare at Emelie and the young shadelings.  
  


“The male who sired me has proven himself unworthy to be called father. But he is Ylian's full brother, though, he is incubus, not shadow, drawing more from Nana, Lilith, than the Avatar of Shadow, my grandfather.”  
Emelie explained in a soft voice.  
“Oh...”  
The confusion faded slowly, but the sadness became more prominent and was joined by a strong sense of sympathy.  
“I'm sorry...”  
“Don't be, it's just how things are. I have the pack instead.”  
“And like a million Susai and cousins.”  
“Huh?”  
Takeshi's soft quip had Linnéa's confusion back in full force.  
“Yeah, every Arai Lilim out there is a Susai of mine, and every Shirai Lilim is my cousin. And the same applies to the children, and grandchildren of the Avatar of Shadow, and believe me, between him and Lilith, there are plenty of relatives of mine.”  
Emelie's decidedly ranting listing of her extended family and the somewhat theatrical huff at the end had everyone laughing.  
  


“There is someone who has been like a father to me during this time though.”  
Emelie turned to Roghan.  
“Rog, you have been more of a father to me than Maroue ever has. So I would like to ask you, would you accept assuming the role of my father? Would you accept me as a daughter of your House Trillia.”  
Emelie's soft words had Roghan blushing slightly.  
“It would be an honor to be allowed to assume the role of father in Maroue's place. And House Trillia is honored to welcome Emelie of House Miri, blood of my blood, as a daughter in Name and Heart.”  
For a moment there was silence, then Emelie pounced at Maroue and hugged him tightly.  
  


“Uhm, did Roghan just adopt Em?”  
Linnéa leaned into Takeshi's side and whispered softly.  
“Mhm, or maybe she adopted him...”  
Takeshi hummed with a smile, it was a very good thing that Emelie was building more bonds.  
“This place is strange sometimes...”  
“Indeed it is. Keep watching, and keep your aura open to the bonds, she's not quite done yet.”  
Takeshi gave Linnéa a gentle nudge to focus her attention back on Emelie who slowly let go of Roghan and approached Ylian.  
“Ylian of House Imora, my susai, you once asked my permission to denounce the bond of blood in favor for that of heart and pack.”  
“I did.”  
“Is that still what you want?”  
“It is Alpha.”  
“Then so be it.”  
With a soft smile Emelie stepped over to Ylian and pulled them down slightly before kissing them softly.  
For a moment Ylian didn't react, then they became partially incorporeal and wrapped themself around her, deepening the kiss with an almost desperate hunger.  
“I love you...”  
Ylian whispered softly as they broke the kiss off and as they did Emelie pulled back slightly and brushed the tip of her tail against their face before reaching out and cupping it in her hands.  
“I know, Netai.”  
While Emelie gently soothed Ylian Takeshi explained that Netai was the Urui term for a co-mate, in this case, the genderless co-mate of a female.  
  


The demons around had been somewhat tense at first during Emelie's exchange with Ylian, but as the pack all echoed acceptance the tension gradually let up and they too turned accepting, after all it was not all that uncommon for lilim to have intimate relationships despite being closely related.  
Though it was usually for breeding purposes, but the demons present were mostly hunters, who knew about the unusually close emotional bonds of the pack.  
The fact that everyone could feel that Lucifer was happy about the turn of events and approved wholeheartedly only helped to solidify the approval of the hunters, though, the new additions to the pack were slightly confused, still trapped in human ways of thinking.  
  


“Come on guys, have a seat and I will try to explain what just happened, and what it means for the pack.”  
Takeshi motioned for his confused companions to join him.  
“Dear sisters, why don't you and your friend have a seat with us?”  
The spawns all smiled and indicated toward a spot between them.  
“Are you going to behave like proper gentlemen?”  
Iðunn nailed them with a questioning glare, paying extra attention to Eenie.  
“I will not do anything untoward.”  
Eenie managed to look almost sad, and their aura reflected the same feeling, instantly making Iðunn's glare wilt.  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you would.”  
“It's just...”  
Eir picked up, but never finished as Linnéa interrupted her.  
“I have had some really bad experiences and it has left me somewhat damaged, I'm healing, but I'm scarred...”  
The fact that Linnéa was speaking up for herself made Takeshi pause and wait to see how the spawns would respond.  
  


“Would you tell us about what hurt you so?”  
“If we know it will be easier for us to make sure we don't do anything that might cause you pain...”  
Takeshi watched with bated breath as Miney and Moe tried to encourage Linnéa to talk to them, and Iðunn and Eir were both trying to offer her silent support to encourage her as well.  
After a moment of silence there was a soft sob then Linnéa threw herself into the arms of the closest spawn and began crying.  
Meenie looked utterly confused, and almost scared for a moment before they gathered their wits and gently wrapped their arms around the sobbing girl.  
“Ssh...”  
It took a few minutes for her to calm down, but once she was reasonably calm she began telling them about the cruel tricks that had been played on her in the wake of her losing her family and by the time she was done talking the entire area was shivering with fury as the aura of every demon that had heard her was burning brightly with anger at what had been done to her.  
  


“You can feel it, can't you?”  
While Eenie spoke Takeshi was paying close attention to everyone's reaction, slightly concerned that the anger in the air would scare the less experienced members of his group.  
“How their treatment of you is making us feel...”  
Linnéa didn't notice which of the spawns it was that was speaking, they all sounded so much alike and she was so totally enveloped in their power that she couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.  
“Yeah, I can... Even the other hunters...”  
Much to Takeshi's relief everyone seemed to understand that the anger wasn't aimed at them, but rather was a reaction to what had been done to Linnéa.  
“We will not intentionally do anything to hurt you.”  
“And we hope you will learn to trust that.”  
“But it's possible that we will inadvertently do or say something that causes you discomfort...”  
As the spawns spoke Linnéa began smiling as they reminded her of Iðunn and Eir in the way one would say something, then another pick up and continue their words.  
“Please, promise that you will let us know exactly what it was if we do.”  
“We have so much to learn.”  
“So many things we don't understand yet.”  
“I'll try...”  
Linnéa sniffled a bit as she promised she would try to let them know if they did something that made her uncomfortable.  
“And we will try our best to not make it necessary.”  
As they settled down again they turned to Takeshi and apologized for the sidetrack.  
  


“It's okay. I think Linn agrees with me that she needed to talk about it.”  
“Yeah, I really did...”  
Takeshi offered her a soft smile and a nod.  
“They clearly like you so I think you will find them to be very protective.”  
The slight teasing edge as he mentioned that the spawns obviously liked her had Linnéa blushing brightly and the auras of the young shadelings were bristling with embarrassment, which they tried to hide by projecting mock affront, but there was also a strong sense of protectiveness that rose up around them.  
Takeshi responded to them by pushing approval and contentment over the bonds, they had shown that they were willing to face up against him, their para and alpha, to protect Linnéa and that had him very pleased.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“I know this will sound very strange, even wrong, to those of us who are born and raised in the Human realm, by humans.”  
Takeshi spoke with a soft, but steady voice, drawing his listeners in closer.  
“Demons are often more like animals than they are humans, their approach to many topics differ, one of those areas is their views on inbreeding. Humans assign a lot of moral values to relationships between related individuals, demons do not.”  
He could tell that several of the demons were paying close attention as well, curious to learn how humans viewed such relationships.  
  


“Demons don't judge such relationships by morality, at least not anymore than they do any relationships.”  
“Indeed, for most of our cultures the only moral judgment is based on the mutuality of the relationship.”  
Lucifer spoke up, adding a side note on demonic views before nodding for Takeshi to continue.  
“Demons primarily judge a relationship based on biology, how will such a paring affect the bloodlines, or in human terms, genetics.”  
Takeshi explained about how demonic resilience protected them from the effects of inbreeding by greatly reducing the risk of compounding negative genetic traits, thus requiring extensive inbreeding to cause genetic damage.  
And thanks to the demonic tendency of having multiple partners and breeding outside of their mating bonds paired with their longevity they would be able to maintain genetic diversity.  
  


“Unless of course they are like my kin, the merfolk, who form bonds of obligate monogamy once mated.”  
Miri spoke up softly when genetic diversity was mentioned.  
“Indeed, some species, and cultures, are more sensitive to the effects of inbreeding, and they tend to be stricter about such relationships.”  
“The lilim have little or no such inhibitions though, for the most part only full siblings and direct descendants are frowned upon. Lilith-Etira herself is even known to occasionally breed with sons of hers to reinforce interesting bloodlines.”  
Roghan's mention about Lilith's own adventures instantly had everyone's attention on him.  
“Have you had a baby with Lady Lilith?”  
Takara's question radiated innocence and caused quite a few teasing whispers.  
“No.”  
“Why?”  
“As you can see my blood favors my mother, not my father. And even if I had favored the blood of my father, the Obsidian Angels have a healthy population that breed sufficient numbers of purebloods to maintain the species, there would be no need for her to breed with me.”  
“Oh... Okay.”  
“Not to mention, she's more than happy to breed little Arai hellions with my father.”  
Roghan's teasing quip about Lucifer, and the children he had with Lilith brought on quite a bit of laughing and teasing.  
  


“What about Take? All his babies become like their mothers...”  
Takara's next question instantly had Takeshi blushing rather brightly at the implications and moments later Iðunn and Eir turned bright red as they realized as well.  
The four young shadelings just snickered and teased each other though, the turn of topic not bothering them in the least.  
“I doubt anyone would object should he and a daughter of his choose to breed, the ones I have met so far are not like demons, or humans, a brand new species, or maybe one older than even demon memory can recall, but either way, more individuals would open up for the possibility of truly establishing them as a species.”  
Roghan answered Takara's question, but as he turned his attention away from her to look at Takeshi he went silent, then broke down laughing at the sight of Takeshi blushing an almost impossible red.  
“Well I'll be damned, you **can** blush.”  
“Roghan...”  
There was a distinct hint of warning in the growled out name, but Roghan just flashed him a brilliant smile.  
“You know, you're cute when blushing like a numiriil before their Guide.”  
At the teasing quip Takeshi pounced with a snarl, but everyone could feel that the energy had flipped from warning to playful, but Roghan was no doubt in for a somewhat painful scuffle.  
  


“Ouch!”  
Roghan's yelp when Takeshi nipped at his ear was more surprise and objection than pain and triggered a round of cheering, with Iðunn and Eir being the loudest.  
“You get him Dad!”  
“Give him a good lick from us too!”  
Roghan cursed softly as the wicked glint in Takeshi's eyes made it quite clear that he intended to fulfill the request to the letter.  
For a moment everything was still, then the wicked glint spread and Takeshi's features morphed into an equally wicked grin before he pounced again with renewed vigor.  
The mock fighting continued for a few more minutes before Takeshi pinned Roghan to the ground with a soft growl, then leaned in and licked his throat, making him shiver slightly.  
“Feeling better now Take?”  
Roghan gently reached up and brushed his fingers against Takeshi's face, mindful not to trigger the young alpha with his own energies.  
“Mhm..”  
“I'm sorry, It wasn't my intention to embarrass you, or your daughters.”  
Roghan apologized softly while waiting for Takeshi to collect himself and let him up.  
“I know.”  
Roghan didn't object, or resist, when Takeshi leaned in and kissed him, instead he relaxed and focused on feeling what Takeshi was trying to say, savoring the subtle spice of Takeshi's emotions.  
Spurred on by the deep sense of companionship and slight hint of desire he reached up, dug his fingers into Takeshi's hair, and pulled him down slightly before returning the kiss, echoing the same feelings back at the younger alpha and after a few moments Takeshi pulled back, then with a burst of energy he vaulted backwards and landed on his feet..  
  


“Thank you for being there for her.”  
Takeshi offered Roghan his hand and when the older demon accepted it he pulled him to his feet.  
“She is kin, and she is amazing. It's an honor for House Trillia to have her, and it's an honor for me to act as her father.”  
Takeshi didn't resist when Roghan wrapped his arms around him and hugged him, instead he leaned into the touch for a moment before turning to the guards and hunters who were watching intently and flashed his fangs at them which made them pull back with teasing smiles and quips.  
Most of the quips were quite suggestive, speaking about wanting to spar with Takeshi if that was how he rewarded the loser of a bout.  
“That's my mate you're trying to seduce.”  
Emelie's hiss and mock scolding was quickly joined by Takeshi's other mates which had the guards and hunters that had been commenting backing away in amused surrender, praising both them, and Takeshi, for their choice in mates.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


As the last night of the feast approached it's peak the pulse of the music and dancing slowed and everyone were looking up at the sky, waiting for the blue and silver moons to align, with the red moon entirely into its dark phase it would offer a beautiful sight.  
  


“Ready?”  
Takeshi smiled as he listened to his pack whispering as they prepared to put on a bit of a makeshift fireworks show using various aspects of their powers, including foxfire, elemental abilities, and crystal projectors.  
 _“♫♪♫”_  
 _“Laai...”_  
The soft calls of appreciation and amazement at the colorful display caused joy and pride to surge through the bonds of the pack and Takeshi leaned back to enjoy the feeling.  
  


Once the show ended and the moons began to slip out of alignment the heavy beat of the large drums picked up again and demon aura rose and blended as bodies began to move again, and soon the pack were all throwing themselves into the dance around the fires.  
When Dan and Eric approached Jackal and pulled him into a very intimate dance Takeshi focused on the pair and transmitted a deep sense of gratitude over their bonds and he did the same for Sol when she teasingly pulled a somewhat uncomfortable Bran over to Angel and dragged them both into the dance as well.  
Looking around Takeshi made sure that everyone was engaged in the dance and he was pleased to find his pack all enjoying themselves.  
The spawns were dancing teasingly with Iðunn, Eir and Linnéa off at the edge of the mass of bodies and Moe was engaging Takara in a far more playful dance while also entertaining Eriko which had the old fox smiling an indulgent smile.  
Ylian had Jenna and Isabelle entertained while Hugin and Munin had paired off with Melissa and Nelly while the others had been pulled into the dance by the guards and hunters.  
Meghan and the umarita pack were milling about in the area where the demon children were dancing, safely away from the wild dance of the adults where they wouldn't be accidentally knocked around or get underfoot.  
  


“Come on love, let's join them.”  
Takeshi reached out for Hiroto.  
“Roto wants me to ask if it's okay for him to rise and have the rest of the night.”  
The slightly hesitant voice made Takeshi smile and huff.  
“Hiro, Roto, what have I said about that?”  
Takeshi scolded with a soft smile and Hiro responded by offering a slightly sheepish smile before retreating and being replaced by Roto.  
“Ah, my beautiful red eyed youma mate.”  
Takeshi teased lightly while Hiroto's features changed slightly, and once the youma had risen completely he leaned in and kissed him deeply.  
“Come on love, let's dance.”  
Moving away from the area where the pack had been resting Takeshi turned around for a moment and looked at the collection of creatures resting there.  
“Yami, you guard them well.”  
The large, black, head popped up for a moment and put an impressive set of fangs on display as he yawned widely, but a silent promise carried over the deep bond he shared with Takeshi.  
“Kara will help.”  
“I will assist as well.”  
Kara and Sora quickly offered to help watch over the various creatures as well and soon Hrafn and Jackal's crow voiced soft caws as well, telling Takeshi that anyone who tried anything would have to face off against sharp beaks, fangs and claws.  
With his pack, and all the familiars cared for Takeshi threw himself into the dance, determined to make sure Roto would get a chance to enjoy himself as well.  
  


By the time the sun rose the celebration had settled down and several of the hunters and most of the guards had left to return to their regular duties.  
“I'm afraid I have duties to get back to as well.”  
Lucifer gave each of the pack members a gentle nuzzle and quite a few teasing kisses as he excused himself.  
“Relyn, you may remain with Pack Kiryu for now if you wish to.”  
“♪♫!”  
The young guard who had been outright moping instantly perked up and the chirp was colored by joy as he thanked Lucifer for releasing him from his usual duties.  
“♫?”  
The questioning warble was aimed at Takeshi and he just smiled and nodded, if the young guard wanted to stay with the pack he had no objections, the temporary marking made him register as pack, and Takeshi was feeling quite protective.  
“Of course you can stay. I wouldn't have marked you, even with a temporary mark, if I wasn't willing to let you stay with us.”  
Takeshi reached out and brushed his hands over Relyn's wings then slowly placed his hand over the base of the wings and gently curled it around the sensitive spot, enjoying the way the wings relaxed and he arched into the touch slightly.  
  


“See you tonight?”  
Takeshi hummed softly as he saw Lucifer off with a kiss.  
“I fully intend to join you for a sunset meal.”  
Lucifer made it quite clear it would take quite an incident for him to change his plans and Takeshi nodded with a smile.  
“We will make sure to have a nice meal ready and waiting.”  
“I would very much enjoy it if you could bring your pack around for tea sometime as well.”  
“Oh, need an excuse to kick everyone out and take a break?”  
“Mhm, it's open court day...”  
The soft complaint instantly had the pack snickering, and promising to come rescue Lucifer away from the complaints of the citizens of the Obsidian Halls, if only for a while.  
“We are going to help clean up after the feast since we didn't help the preparations, so how about we do that, then come steal you away for some relaxing tea?”  
Takeshi's reminder that he had promised that the pack would help with the cleaning earned him a few groans, but they had all agreed that it was the right thing to do as the hunters had provided not just the fuel for the fires, but also the massive amounts of food and drinks.  
The Blood Guard had their duties to return to so they couldn't help much, and Takeshi felt indebted to them for their help with keeping the pack entertained, and feeling safe, so he took upon himself, and the pack, to do their part as well, and the pack had agreed to that as well.  
All in all, they would grumble and complain, but they would work hard to do their part, and repay the Blood Guard.

They had been working with the remaining hunters to restore the area for about two hours when the Huntsmaster announced that they should take a break and have a bite to eat and rest a bit, and everyone were more than happy to comply as the weather was beginning to become quite hot and humid with the approaching monsoon season.  
With an average temperature between 18°C and 25°C the climate of the Obsidian Halls was comfortably warm without being hot, and it was very dry, the regular nighttime thunderstorms offered little or no rainfall.  
But every 150 days give or take a few there was a short monsoon that lasted for about 5 days which filled up the groundwater deposits that supplied the vegetation during the dry periods.  
The temperature increased noticeably and the humidity spiked sharply the day before its arrival and during the night the winds would start to pick up, come morning massive supercell systems would start rolling in.  
Thanks to various elementals and other demons with weather controlling abilities each cell would take about 3-5 hours to pass then between the cells there would be a pause of roughly an hour where the sun would shine through, allowing the water to clear and giving various lesser demons time to forage for food.  
It also allowed the City Guard to do a quick patrol to make sure everything was as it should.

“Shamarai-yemo, may I have a word with you?”  
Takeshi had barely noticed Wen's approach as he and the pack were dozing of slightly in the heat.  
“Of course Wen-yan.”  
“Could you join me and Trillia-yemo?”  
Takeshi quickly rose and walked with Wen over to where Roghan was resting.  
“What did you want to talk to me about?”  
“...”  
“Now now, no need to be shy.”  
“As you know there is no way to prevent my heat, and no way around me needing to have sex to get through it.”  
“I know, Roghan explained it.”  
“Since I have to go through it regardless, would you help me make it a proper Arashiri?”  
“Oh, you don't want Roghan to do it?”  
“I trust the Trillia-yemo, but my instincts tell me you are stronger than him, better able to defend me as my Guide.”  
Her words made Takeshi sigh, he knew she was correct, but it was a tough decision for him, not only was she very young, he was also very close to his own heat.  
“Wen, are you sure you want to go there? I'm very close to my own heat, and being with you during your heat may trigger my own.”  
“I know. I'm sure.”  
With a soft nod he turned his attention to Roghan.

“Rog, what's your opinion on this?”  
While Roghan didn't really have a say in the matter Takeshi respected his opinion so he asked anyway.  
“I agree with her, you would be better suited than me to be her Guide. You have grown very strong....”  
Takeshi looked at her for a long moment, then sighed softly.  
“In that case I would be honored to.”  
He knew his pack would all agree to him helping the young female.  
“Trillia-yemo, would you sit Guardian for me?”  
“Of course.”  
They could both tell that Wen still had something on her mind and after watching her squirm for a while Takeshi spoke up, seeking to confirm his suspicion.  
“Wen, would you like to have a female there as well?”  
The only answer was a soft nod.  
“Do you want me to ask Em if she would like to help?”  
“Please...”  
Takeshi had no doubt that Emelie would agree, she had taken a liking to the young female, he knew that Wen's youth would bother his dear soulmate at first, but then her protective instincts would kick in and she would accept so that she could be there to protect Wen.

“Thank you Em...”  
Wen ducked her head slightly and blushed vividly.  
“Don't worry Wen, I like you, and don't like what has been done to you.”  
Emelie gave Wen a quick hug.  
“I promise I will do everything I can to help you, and if my dear alpha has his heat triggered by yours I'll make sure to help him take the edge off so he can remain in control and take care of you.”  
After pausing for a moment Emelie leaned in with a wicked smile and whispered in Wen's ear.  
“And I'll make sure to teach you every trick I know to tease him with.”  
The young demoness instantly turned brilliant red and began spluttering and calling her evil, and Takeshi quickly agreed with Wen.  
“Thanks...”  
“You just make sure to send word when it's time.”  
“I will.”  
“Don't worry, I'll make sure to alert you guys as soon as we know that it's starting.”  
“Thanks Rog, you take good care of her.”  
“I will. Don't worry my sweet little Emmy.”  
The teasing addition had Roghan ducking and twirling to avoid a series of small rocks courtesy of Emelie's agile tail.  
While Emelie chased Roghan back to where the rest of his House Trilia were resting Takeshi reached out for his pack and gave the bonds a gentle tug, he would have to talk to them about his upcoming heat.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“That's enough playing around for now, we need to have a bit of a serious talk.”  
Takeshi gave Isabelle a gentle tap on the nose to get her attention and get her to settle down so he could talk to the pack without them being distracted.

“As you have no doubt already picked up it's time for my heat again.”  
There were a few quick nods, and a few rather confused looks.  
“What does that actually mean?”  
“If you just slow down a bit Linn I will explain.”  
“Okay.”  
Linnéa quickly settled back down while Takeshi gave the newcomers a slightly more detailed rundown of what his heat would mean to them.

“So, being Wen's Guide during her heat might set you off early?”  
Melissa's question had Takeshi humming and nodding.  
“Mhm, so we need to decide now who will go into seclusion together with me and who wants to stay out of my way for this heat now, just in case.”  
“I'm not ready yet so I will stay away.”  
Amber quickly excused herself, which Takeshi knew she would.  
“I'm staying this time.”  
Maria's determination did surprise him a bit.  
“Me too.”  
Sarah quickly agreed with her sister.  
“Okay.”  
Takeshi sighed with a somewhat crooked smile, he had suspected for a while that they would approach him for sexual contact, but he didn't think it would be quite so soon.  
“Aw, our little girls are all ready to grow up.”  
“Emmy!”  
Both of them instantly turned beet red and spluttered at Emelie's teasing.

“Someone needs to go with Amber...”  
Dan's soft words caused quite a debate as the pack all wanted to stay with Takeshi this time around.  
“Munin and I will stay with her.”  
Melissa's soft words brought the near argument to a halt.  
“Thank you sweetie.”  
“I was thinking we could go stay with the Blood Guard, that way we will be well protected and there will be enough strong, dominant types around to keep Amber's nature contained.”  
Munin quickly elaborated on what he and Melissa had agreed on.  
“That's probably a good idea.”  
Takeshi quickly agreed, and Amber nodded as well.  
“Yeah, we don't want my alpha nature to wake up if we can avoid it.”  
They had found that as long as there were plenty of dominant adults around Amber's alpha nature seemed to remain dormant, probably a form of self preservation to ensure that the alpha pair didn't force the young alpha out of the pack before it was mature enough to survive on its own.  
“I will take Taka and join them.”  
Eriko did want to stay, but she knew that if she did she would end up pregnant, and she wanted Takara to be a bit older before she had kits.  
“Would you be willing to take Belle as well?”  
“Of course Jen.”  
“Thanks.”  
Takeshi just nodded at the exchange, well aware of why Eriko chose to stay away.

“Sol, would it be safe to assume that you want to stay?”  
Takeshi turned to Sol with a wide grin, he knew she would no doubt want to stay as she had quite the appetite.  
“Of course, this heat of yours sounds **very** interesting.”  
“Umm, I would like to stay too...”  
Everyone instantly turned to Linnéa, who was sporting very vivid blush, but her aura echoed determination.  
“Are you sure? I can't promise I will be able to be gentle with you for your first time.”  
Takeshi gently cautioned her, Sarah and Maria were untouched as well, but they had seen how he was during his heat before so they knew perfectly well what they were getting themselves into.  
“I trust that you won't do anything to hurt me.”  
The absolute trust radiating from her made Takeshi scoot over and give her a soft kiss.  
“Thank you.”  
When he pulled back he brushed his fingers against her face and offered her a gentle smile of gratitude.

“There is one thing you need to know though before you decide.”  
“What?”  
“I will be very hard for me to resist claiming you as pack if we have sex during my heat. Especially if you are untouched. Are you sure you want to be claimed in such a way?”  
“I can still become theirs when they mature, right?”  
She didn't need to specify any further, Takeshi knew that she was referring to Iðunn and Eir.  
“Yeah, you can.”  
“Then I'm sure.”  
“Alright.”  
Takeshi quickly moved on by turning to Bran.

“I assume you will be going with Amber to stay out of my way?”  
“Yeah, I'm totally not ready to be roped into this entire pack thing.”  
“I had a feeling you'd say that. But you should know, we would all be more than happy to welcome you should you want it.”  
“I know...”  
Bran took a deep breath before he continued.  
“I have always felt comfortable and welcome around you guys, and now I understand those feelings a lot better. The welcoming feeling that is pack, the safety that is a powerful Alpha pair and the comfort of capable Betas.”  
The pack instantly came together and projected those energies even stronger than usual, making Bran smile at them.  
“I'm sorry, I'm not ready.”  
“Don't worry.”  
“We know.”  
“We're gonna keep trying to suck you in though.”  
Takeshi backed the pack's words by letting his aura unfurl slightly and wrap around Bran before turning to Iðunn, Eir and the four spawns.

“What about you yitzei?”  
“Our pana will probably be a bit reluctant to breed again if yi can feel us there so we will be heading out.”  
Takeshi nodded and turned to his twin daughters.  
“Okay, what about you girls?”  
“We want to be there for Linn.”  
“Understandable, but I must warn you, there is a risk that my instincts won't recognize you as my daughters.”  
“What?”  
“How is that possible?”  
“Remember, my offspring inherits almost all of their traits from their mothers. That along with how much I have changed since I fathered you there is a risk that your energies are simply too different from mine, confusing the instincts that would make you safe from my heat.”  
Takeshi's words caused a bit of a stir with the pack, it was the first time he had mentioned the warning that he had been given by the Obsidian healer about the possible repercussions of the full merging of the various fragments that made up his chimera soul.

“But with Em and the others there...”  
“They can keep you distracted, right?”  
“Keep you from being too annoying...”  
“And there's no risk that you'd actually do anything really bad, right?”  
As always Iðunn and Eir spoke in a jumble.  
“No, you're right, my control isn't bad enough for me to actually do anything to hurt you, abuse you. And yes, the others would be able to distract me so I won't pester you too much. But during my more instinct driven periods chances are you might end up having to deal with some rather insistent propositions.”  
“We can handle that.”  
“We need to be there for Linn.”  
The twins spoke with absolute confidence and their aura's was brimming with a protective energy that made Takeshi's instincts soar with pride, it would seem they would both turn out to be alphas.  
Fortunately they were already pack so their awakening would probably be suppressed just like Amber's making sure there wouldn't be too many alphas in the pack.  
“Okay, if you think you can live down the embarrassment I guess I have to do the same.”  
“We will manage.”  
“For Linn.”  
“For Linn.”  
Takeshi agreed with a soft nod, making Linnéa blush vividly as Takeshi turned his attention to the next question mark, Miri, or more specifically, Marakell.

“Marakell, do you want to stay with us, with Miri, as well?”  
“If you think you can handle having another alpha there I would very much like to stay.”  
“It worked out okay last time, and I have a feeling my control will have improved this time around.”  
“It would be good for you to feed from the excess we will no doubt generate.”  
Emelie's soft addition made Marakell turn away slightly.  
“Indeed, you are not feeding as much as you should.”  
The light scolding made Marakell sigh, then surrender with a huff.  
“Okay, I will try to remember to feed more, but I will not recant.”  
“I know, I'm not asking you to, I merely ask that you take more care about your own health, and try to keep your energies topped off. Feed when you have the opportunity, and remember, you are always welcome to any excess sexual energy we generate.”  
”I know. It's just...”  
“You have been with us for quite a while now, don't you think it's time to drop your defenses a bit?”  
The slightly sad hint in Takeshi's tone instantly had Marakell mollified and bowing his head in apology.  
“Yeah, it is... It's just, I'm so used to always being concerned about the power of those I'm feeding from.”  
“Oh, are you suggesting I am weaker than you?”  
The slight edge in Takeshi's aura and voice combined with a flash of sharp fangs had Marakell doing some pretty impressive backpaddling.

“No, not at all. I may be as strong as a shirai despite being ganrai, but I have no illusions, your strength far surpasses my own.”  
“And yet you keep hesitating to feed from me...”  
Takeshi was hinting at the oath that Marakell had sword after the death of his mate, an oath to never again feed from someone weaker than himself, even if it killed him.  
That of course didn't include the life force of an enemy, but Marakell had a kind and gentle disposition, leaving him without any enemies who would go as far as to challenge him in a way that would warrant a lethal response.  
“...”  
For a moment Marakell just looked at Takeshi in silence, then he realized Takeshi was teasing him and broke down laughing.  
“Asshole...”  
The grumbled insult had everyone laughing, save for Takeshi who was mock whining about how mean Marakell was.  
“Let's get back to work so we can go save poor Uncle Lucy from his duties.”  
Emelie chased the pack toward the area that still needed more cleanup work done.

Meghan and Chagoo had announced that they would join Amber and the rest of the group that was leaving, and while Relyn did want to stay they agreed that he better not as Takeshi probably wouldn't be able to resist making a permanent claim on him if he stayed.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Making Plans_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Please, have a seat.”  
Eriko motioned for Lucifer to have a seat at the head of the low table that had been prepared before joining Amanda to help her with the preparations for the tea.  
Amanda went through the motions of the chadō with a confident calm born from experience and Takeshi couldn't help smiling at the way Lucifer seemed almost spellbound by the motions.

“Feeling a bit less stressed out?”  
Takeshi waited until the initial round of matcha had been passed around before asking Lucifer how he was doing.  
“Yeah, this tradition of yours is very relaxing. And quite beautiful.”  
When offered a plate with wagashi Lucifer's face morphed into a rather amusing mix of curiosity and a childish delight as he inspected the tiny but finely crafted sweets.

Amanda had left a bit earlier than the other to craft the selection of treats and Takeshi had to admit that she had outdone herself this time with a beautiful selection of flowers, both from the Human and Demon realms, a few were even based on plants that grew in Atlantis.  
“You have outdone yourself this time. These are amazing.”  
The size was significantly smaller than usual, though not as small as the special ones she had made for Miri before the young mermaid grew into her current form, and instead there was a fairly large selection of them on each plate.  
“Indeed, these are almost too beautiful to eat.”  
Lucifer carefully picked up one of the small treats that was shaped like an Imora flower and carefully inspected it.  
“I believe you will find that their sweetness complements the bitterness of the tea very well.”  
Amanda was blushing at the praise, but she didn't lose her composure, instead she calmly continued to serve everyone their wagashi and tea.

While they enjoyed the tea and wagashi Takeshi told Lucifer about Wen's request, and the preliminary plans the pack had made for his upcoming heat.  
“My guards will no doubt be more than happy to have company for a few days.”  
“And what about you?”  
“I think I will stay away this time, allow you to focus on your pack as more than one is untouched, and leave you with plenty of energy to focus into becoming para again.”  
For a brief moment Takeshi felt a somewhat irrational disappointment that Lucifer didn't insist on wanting to be with him during his heat, but he quickly forced the feeling down.  
“Will you promise me your next heat unless something unexpected happens?”  
Lucifer's somewhat sly smile told Takeshi that he hadn't been entirely successful at hiding his reaction.  
“I already have, but I will make it more formal if you prefer.”  
“Please...”  
There was a hint of uncertainty in Lucifer's tone that instantly had everyone silent as it was so totally out of character and Takeshi could feel them all joining together and all but demand he place a proper oath, which he did without hesitation.

When Lucifer excused himself to return to his duties the pack quickly gathered around and carefully brushed against him, leaving traces of their scents and energy on him.  
“You take care now and we will see you tonight.”  
“I will. Thank you for giving me a well needed break.”  
“Here, I made these for you to bring with you.”  
Amanda offered Lucifer a fairly large box that held a substantial collection of small wagashi in several layers.  
“I made them with a paste from Tull nuts and added shiiza leaf among other things. They should help you relax a bit.”  
“Thank you little beta.”  
Amanda just huffed at the address and when Lucifer leaned in to thank her with a kiss she turned her head slightly, acknowledging his alpha nature and further soothing his instincts, though, she didn't actually submit.  
“You are a truly kind creature. A pride to any pack.”  
“Now now Uncle Lucy, no trying to sweet-talk my beta.”  
Emelie hissed at Lucifer and flared her wings in mock challenge which had the old angel raising his hands in surrender before tapping into the power of the palace and vanishing with a brilliant smile, leaving a huffing and hissing Emelie behind.  
For a moment she just stared at the empty spot where Lucifer had been standing, then she spun around and pounced at Takeshi who yelped as sharp fangs nipped at his ear.  
“Oi! Don't take it out on me...”  
Takeshi grumbled softly while rubbing the abused ear, then moments later he pounced at Emelie and kissed her senseless.

“Let's head to the market and see if we can get some inspiration for dinner while those two smooch.”  
Dan gave the pack a gentle nudge and soon they were all walking away from their alpha pair.  
They didn't get very far thought before the shadows split open and spat the pair back out in front of them, making the betas fall back to guard the rear of the group.  
“We should go have a word with Tamalu about that excursion she invited us to.”  
Takeshi instantly had everyone's attention as they had run away to meet Roghan and hadn't heard about the offer.  
“What kind of excursion?”  
“She invited us to come see the area where she grew up, it has floating islands to explore.”  
“Oh, that sounds fun!”  
“So, drop by the stables first and see if she is at her shop?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Sounds good.”  
“Let's go!”  
The pack quickly made their way through the market toward the stable area.

“Tamalu!?”  
Emelie called as she entered the small store and moments later Tamalu's head popped up from behind one of the tables.  
“Em-Iera!”  
Tamalu quickly brushed her hands against the simple apron she was wearing to get rid of most of the dust.  
“Is something wrong with Momo?”  
She hurried over to Hiroto with concern coloring her aura.  
“Not at all, we just wanted to drop by and talk about that offer of yours to bring us to see the floating islands you spoke of.”  
“Oh, good.”  
Tamalu sighed in relief.  
“Sorry, we didn't mean to make you worry.”  
Nelly was quick to offer an apology and a smile, she had grown close to Tamalu as they shared a love for caring for the lesser creatures in their midst, not just the pets, but the wild ones as well.

Remembering that the dragons were supposed to be a secret Tamalu quickly turned to Takeshi.  
“I can take whenever you want to go, but I would appreciate if you tell me a day or two ahead so I can have someone look after the store and care for my creatures.  
“Well, I'm about to go into head so I was thinking we could go once it ends.”  
“And when will that be?”  
“I should enter my heat before the red goes full, so how about we make preliminary plans to head out on the night of the red?”  
“Sounds good to me, I'll make sure I have someone ready to cover for me for a couple of moons to be on the safe side.”  
After a moment of consideration she turned to Hiroto.  
“Do you have anyone to look after Momo while you are distracted by your mate's heat?”  
“Nel and Honey will look after him when needed.”  
“Ah, that's good.”

With plans made the pack had a quick look around the market before heading back to the Obsidian Palace to prepare the meal they had promised Lucifer.


End file.
